RINCESSES 


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I'^/V.iecr ' 


GIFT  OF 
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NEW  EDITION,  t907 


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4  Aunt  Diana 

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5  Averil 

By  Rosa  N.  Carey 

6  Chums 

By  Maria  Louise  Pool 

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By  L.  T.  Meade 

8  Six  Little  Princesses 

By  Prentiss 

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By  L.  T.  Meade 

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By  L.  T.  Meade 

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18  Forced  Acquaintances 

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19  Polly 

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20  Queechy 

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21  Six  to  Sixteen 

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Publishers 
NEW  YORK  AND  BOSTON 


Six  Little  Princesses 


and 


What  They  Turned  Into 

And  Other  Fairy  Tales 


B) 


The  Author  of  "  Susy's  Six  Birthdays'* 


Illustrated 


New  York  and  Boston 

H.  M.  Caldwell  Company 

Publishers 


SIFT  OF 


^/  /V 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Six  Little  Princesses : 

I.    The  Queen's  Wish 5 

II.    The  Countess' Gifts .......  13 

III.  A  Wicked  Fairy 24 

IV.  Strength  in  Union 39 

Little  Ella  and  the  Fire-King 46 

The  Wonderful  Apple  Tree 62 

Hazel  and  Fair  ;  or,  The  Flies'  Hospital 71 

A  Pig  for  an  Hour 84 

Amabel  and  the  Cherries 92 

The  Golden  Cow 104 

The  Silver  Dog  and  His  Puppies 114 

The  Lumber  Room : 

I.    The  Lumber  Room 122 

II.    An  Excursion 127 

III.    The  Moon  Dance >  132 

The  Story  of  the  Little  Pond 137 

What  the  Animals  Said 141 

The  Story  of  Little  Maggie 150 

A  Story  about  a  Wasp 156 


SIX  LITTLE  PRINCESSES. 


I. 

THE  queen's  wish. 

On  a  clear,  frosty  clay  :of  Uhe' tweiitieth  winter 
of  her  life,  the  beautiful  Queen' Anitta  sat  in  her 
sledge  enveloped  in  errhine,:and  iiihaled  th-S  'air  with 
smiles  of  satisfaction;'  ''Before  alid  behind  her  a 
retinue  of  attendants  made  a  brilliant  parade  of  gay 
trappings  and  many-colored  garments,  which  con- 
trasted finely  with  the  white  snow  over  which  they 
flew. 

The  young  queen  had  almost  everything  in  the 
world  to  make  her  happy.  The  king  gratifie(^  her 
everv  wish,  as  far  as  it  was  possible  to  do  so ;  her 
people  always  received  her  with  acclamations  ;  when 
she  was  tired  of  living  in  one  palace  she  could  go 
to  another.  It  follows,  then,  as  a  natural  conse- 
quence, that  she  was  happy. 

By  no  means.  She  had  one  wish  that  had  never 
been  gratified,  and  never  would  be ;  for  whereas  the 
king  delighted  in  dogs  and  horses,  her  great  pleas- 
ure was  in  little  children,  and  of  these  she  had  none. 
Now  it  might  seem,  at  first  blush,  that  queens  are 
the  last  persons  in  the  world  to  possess  such  tastes. 
It  is  generally  understood  that  they  spend  their 
lives,  during  the  day,  sitting  on  thrones,  with  golden 


6  SIX  LITTLE  PRINCESSES. 

crowns  on  their  heads,  which  serve  them  at  night 
as  luxurious  nightcaps,  and  act  as  constant  re- 
minders that  the  heads  that  wear  them  are  heads 
of  no  common  sort.  It  is  true  we  have  the  highest 
authority  for  the  fact  that  there  once  existed  on 
earth  a  queen  who  went  into  the  kitchen,  Hke  other 
mortals,  to  eat  bread  and  honey,  while  the  king 
counted  out  his  money  in  the  parlor.  But  such 
queens  are  rare,  and  so  is  the  queen  of  our  story, 
who  actually  fancied  that  even  on  the  stately  floors 
of  palaces  the  patter  of  little  feet  would  be  musical. 
In  fact,  Queen  Anitta  was,  and  always  had  been, 
an  exception  to  all  rules.  She  had  been  known  to 
jump  into  her  carnage  v/ith  a  hop  and  a  skip  which 
sent  her  .'Grown- rolling  nobody  knows  where;  she 
had  been' scOn  to  laugh  wiih  a  fresh  girlish  hearti- 
ness that  made  her  governess  turn  pale ;  and  once, 
but  this  fact  once  published,  had  been  suppressed 
by  the  king,  she  had  snatched  a  gypsy-looking  baby, 
with  cheeks  like  two  peaches,  from  its  mother's 
arms,  and  actually  kissed  it !  It  is  to  be  hoped  and 
believed  that  there  are  not  many  such  queens  on 
the  face  of  the  earth,  for  hearts  are  inconvenient 
things  on  state  occasions,  and  the  life  of  royalty  is 
all  state. 

On  this  particular  morning  she  was  all  smiles, 
for  she  had  just  completed  negotiations  with  a 
poor  woman,  who,  for  the  sake  of  getting  rid  of 
some  trouble,  and  gaining  some  ease,  had  consented 
to  give  up  to  her  a  great  fat  baby,  who  was  straight- 
way to  be  made  a  prince. 

On  reaching  home  the  queen  sent  a  special  mes- 
sage for  her  dearest  friend,  the  Countess  Reynosa, 
to  whom  she  wished  to  display  her  new  possession. 

*'  The  child  is  a  perfect  monster ! "  cried  the 
countess,  the  moment  her  eyes  fell  upon  this  huge 


SIX  LITTLE  PRINX'ESSES.  7 

mass  of  flesh.  ''-In  the  first  place,  it  is  all  body, 
without  a  soul  of  the  smallest  conceivable  style. 
In  the  second  place,  its  heart,  if  it  has  any,  is  as  hard 
as  the  nether  millstone.  How  can  it  be  otherwise, 
since  it  was  born  of  a  mother  who  was  willing  to 
sell  her  own  flesh  and  blood  for  money  ?  " 

She  who  spake  these  sagacious  words  was  not 
six  feet  high,  as  one  might  suppose,  nor  was  her 
hair  silvered  by  age.  She  was  exactly  one  year 
older  than  the  queen,  and  so  little  that  if  she  had 
not  been  a  woman,  she  would  have  been  a  hum- 
ming-bird. Her  eyes  were  like  two  stars,  and  saw 
almost  as  much ;  as  to  her  penetration,  it  was  al- 
most supernatural. 

To  keep  the  baby  after  she  had  pronounced 
against  it  was  not  to  be  thought  of.  The  whole 
kingdom  would  be  up  in  arms  at  such  an  error. 
The  creature  was  accordingly  wrapped  in  one  of 
the  royal  blankets,  handed  over  to  a  royal  page,  and 
restored  to  its  mother,  who,  as  she  was  allowed  to 
keep  the  price  of  her  goods,  and  the  goods  into  the 
bargain,  was  tolerably  content  with  her  share  of  the 
operation. 

The  queen,  however,  sat  pensively  in  a  chair 
whose  back  was  twelve  feet  high,  her  hands  folded 
in  her  lap,  and  regretted  that  with  so  many  ex- 
cellent qualities,  her  dear  friend,  the  countess,  pos- 
sessed such  sagacity. 

"  No  doubt  I  should  have  awakened  a  soul  in 
the  child  in  time !  "  she  said.  "  And  as  for  a  heart ! 
ah,  Reynosa,  you  do  not  know  what  it  is  to  have 
one  so  empty  as  mine." 

"  Nonsense !  "  cried  the  countess,  whose  bump  of 
reverence  was  as  hollow  as  a  teacup,  "  as  if  at  your 
age  you  could  instruct  me  on  the  subject  of  human 
affections!     It  is  not  to  babies  in  general  I  object, 


8  SIX  LITTLE  PRINCESSES. 

but  to  this  infant  in  particular.  Leave  the  matter 
to  me.      I  will  fill  your  heart — with  a  vengeance.'' 

For  answer  the  queen  jumped  down  from  her  seat 
of  state,  and  looked  and  acted  so  much  like  common 
people  that  the  prime  minister  had  to  be  sent  for  to 
remind  her  that  she  was  uncommon. 

]\Ieanwhile,  the  countess,  nibbling  at  a  bit  of 
straw,  tossed  her  head  and  floated  out  of  the  palace 
and  into  her  chariot,  whether  on  wings  or  on  her 
feet  it  would  be  hard  to  say.  In  less  than  an  hour 
she  came  back  with  a  basket,  which,  with  mock  cere- 
mony and  profound  salutations,  she  placed  at  the 
feet  of  the  queen. 

"  May  it  please  your  majesty,"  said  she,  ''  here 
is  a  little  baby — I  entreat  pardon — a  babe,  which  I 
have  the  honor  to  present  to  your  majesty  on  bended 
knees." 

The  "  babe  "  was  a  charming  little  creature,  with 
a  brown  skin,  under  which  the  red  blood  could  be 
seen  as  plainly  as  under  the  fairest ;  it  had  large 
brown  eyes,  a  pretty  mouth,  and  dimples  where 
other  people  have  knuckles. 

''  This  child  has  a  heart,"  continued  the  countess, 
resuming  her  usual  gay  tone,  "  for  when  I  took  it 
from  its  mother's  arms  she  gave  three  such  ter- 
rific wails  that  I  nearly  let  it  fall  to  the  floor.  As 
for  tears,  the  poor  thing  is  wet  with  them  still,  as 
if  it  had  been  out  in  the  rain." 

"  I  cannot  accept  a  child  thus  torn  from  its 
mother,"  said  the  queen,  shrinking  back. 

"  Listen  before  you  decide !  "  cried  the  countess. 
"  The  mother  lay  upon  her  deathbed.  She  but 
parted  with  her  child  a  few  days  in  advance.  She 
is  overwhelmed  with  gratitude  that  she  can  leave  it 
in  such  hands." 

Thus   reassured,  the  queen  gave  herself  up  to 


SIX  LITTLE  PRINCESSES.  9 

the  enjoyment  of  her  new  acquisition,  while  she 
did  not  forget  to  send  to  the  dying  mother  every 
solace  her  tender  heart  could  conceive  of.  Nurses 
were  at  once  sought,  dainty  garments  replaced  the 
coarse  clothing  of  the  child,  and  several  apartments 
were  made  ready  for  its  use.  An  hour  sufficed  to 
transform  the  unconscious  little  sleeper  into  a 
princess.  Pure  water,  perfumes,  white  robes,  a 
host  of  attendants :  are  not  these  advantages  equal 
to  royal  blood? 

It  was  necessary,  however,  to  select  names  for 
the  child.  While  the  daughter  of  an  obscure 
widow  one  name  had,  it  is  true,  sufficed.  But  here 
lies  the  distinction  between  plebeians  and  aristocrats. 
The  one  may  be  Polly  or  Sally.  The  other  must 
bear  the  titles  of  her  ancestors,  and  stagger  through 
life  with  their  honors  upon  Her.  In  this  case  there 
were,  of  course  no  ancestors.  Children  born  in 
poverty  have  only  fathers  and  mothers.  But  what 
the  baby  lacked  the  queen  possessed,  and  she  en- 
dowed it  with  all  the  best  names  of  her  own  high- 
born race.  But  for  everyday  wear  and  tear  it  was 
only  the  Princess  Novella. 

For  some  weeks  the  queen  was  in  raptures  over 
her  child ;  and  its  infantine  graces,  wherein  it  bid 
defiance  to  ministers  of  state,  and  all  the  princi- 
palities and  powers  on  earth,  afforded  her  infinite 
delight.  Even  the  king  felt  some  respect  for  a 
being  who  at  so  tender  an  age  ventured  to  yawn 
while  he  was  addressing  it,  and  to  seize  his  nose  in 
its  hands,  and  pull  his  hair  without  the  smallest 
compunction.  He  began  to  flatter  himself  that  such 
royal  airs  denoted  royal  blood,  and  it  was  not  long 
before  he  almost  forgot  its  plebeian  origin. 

Now  everybody  knows  that  the  gratification  of 
one  want  does  not  preclude  the  uprising  of  another. 


10  SIX  LITTLE  PRINCESSES. 

The  human  soul  is  hydra-headed ;  what  you  crop  off 
here  will  sprout  out  there.  Consequently  the  queen 
began  to  say  to  herself  that  a  princess  was  next  to 
no  princess  at  all,  and  that  one  more  at  least  would 
be  necessary  to  complete  her  felicity. 

When  the  Countess  Reynosa  heard  this  piece  of 
news  she  shook  her  sagacious  little  head  and  said : 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  thought  so  !  " 

Indeed,  it  was  quite  impossible  that  anything 
under  the  sun  should  happen  of  which  she  had  not 
thought.  "  This  time,  I  suppose,  it  must  be  a 
prince  !  "  she  said  to  the  queen. 

But  the  queen  declared  that,  young  and  inexper- 
ienced as  she  was,  she  could  not  venture  on  the 
fearful  responsibility  of  undertaking  the  charge  of 
boys. 

"But  what  does  the  king  say?"  asked  the 
countess. 

"  The  king,  alas,  is  so  absorbed  in  his  horses,  his 
dogs,  and  his  hunts,  that  he  leaves  all  domestic 
arrangements  to  me.  If  I  choose  to  adopt  as  many 
princesses  as  he  possesses  four-footed  favorites,  he 
will  not  thwart  me." 

The  countess  shook  her  head  again.  But  what 
this  shake  portended  she  would  not  explain.  Only 
it  was  not  long  before  she  brought  to  the  palace  a 
man  who  looked  frightened  out  of  his  wits,  and  who 
had  something  in  his  hand  tied  up  in  a  large  red 
cotton   handkerchief. 

In  his  terror  at  the  idea  of  speaking  face  to  face 
with  a  live  queen,  he  gave  her  to  understand  a  num- 
ber of  impossible  things,  the  most  important  being 
the  fact  that  this  handkerchief  contained  an  infant 
who  not  only  possessed  no  parents,  but  never  had 
had  any,  and  was  now  left  destitute  and  forlorn  to 
his  care,  he  being  its  uncle  in  a  remote  way. 


SIX  LITTLE  PRINCESSES.  H 

The  queen  received  the  gift  with  as  much  dehght 
as  if  it  were  the  only  baby  on  earth.  The  process 
of  turning  it  into  a  princess  of  the  blood  royal  was 
gone  through  with,  and  in  a  few  hours  there  slum- 
bered by  the  side  of  her  dusky  sister  a  fair-haired, 
pale  little  maiden,  whom  everybody  treated  with 
respect,  and  called  the  Princess  ]vIosella. 

To  make  a  long  story  short,  the  queen  took  such 
pleasure  in  her  children  that  she  could  not  rest 
satisfied  with  only  two.  In  a  very  short  space 
of  time  the  Countess  Reynosa  had  ransacked  the 
kingdom  to  such  purpose  that  six  little  cradles 
rocked  gallantly  in  as  many  royal  nurseries.  'Dark- 
haired  and  light-haired,  blue-eyed  and  black-eyed, 
there  they  were,  and,  for  all  they  knew  or  cared,  had 
a  king  for  their  father  and  a  queen  for  their  mother. 

They  all  bore  the  same  marks  of  royalty  in  a 
supreme  disregard  of  place  and  position ;  every 
one  of  the  six  took  its  turn  at  discomfiting  the  prime 
minister  and  routing  the  secretary  of  state  ;  and  there 
was  not  one  who  thought  the  king  made  for  any 
earthly  purpose  but  to  pick  up  their  toys  as  fast  as 
they  threw  them  down. 

When  the  queen  had  made  all  the  dainty  fingers 
in  the  land  embroider  garments  sufficientlv  costly 
and  beautiful  for  the  purpose,  she  resolved  to 
have  a  grand  christening,  and  display  her  daugh- 
ters to  the  court. 

All  the  nobles  and  grandees  were  invited  to 
witness  this  remarkable  sight.  The  whole  king- 
dom was  in  commotion.  The  men  put  on  their 
court  garments,  and  the  women  exhausted  them- 
selves in  inventing  new  dresses.  Some  of  the  ladies 
had  to  have  their  hair  dressed  a  week  beforehand, 
and  it  is  to  be  presumed  did  not  go  to  bed  during 
that  period ;  silks  and  satins  and  laces  and  diamonds 


12  SIX  LITTLE  PRINCESSES. 

formed  the  staple  of  conversation,  and  filled  all  the 
heads  and  hands  that  were  not  already  full.  One 
would  need  to  write  a  whole  book  if  one  would 
describe  the  crush  and  the  rush,  the  wear  and  the 
tear,  the  destruction  and  the  ruin. 

The  end  of  it  all  was  ten  extra  Court  'Journals, 
and  six  princesses,  each  with  more  names  than 
it  had  fingers  and  toes.  Somehow,  in  spite  of  the 
splendor  of  the  scene,  the  display  of  jewels,  and  the 
destruction  of  robes,  the  young  creatures  got  ac- 
tually christened,  and  were  borne  away  in  triumph 
to  their  own  domains. 

As  to  the  presents  laid  at  their  unconscious  feet, 
and  which  they  all  received  with  that  sublime  in- 
difference peculiar  to  high  breeding,  time  would 
fail  to  enumerate  the  tithe  of  them.  It  is  only  on 
those  who  already  possess  everything  that  costly 
gifts  are  lavished.  What  should  poor  people  do 
with  such  things  ? 

The  Countess  Reynosa  alone,  of  all  the  friends 
of  the  king  and  queen,  presented  the  royal  infants 
with  no  gift  whatever.  One  shake  of  her  saga- 
cious head  answered  the  purpose  and  explained 
this  omission.  Ah  !  what  a  thing  it  is  to  have  a 
reputation  !  The  only  difficulty  is  when  one 
possesses  without  deserving  it.  Then  indeed  one 
has  to  float  one  banner  in  public  and  fight  under 
another  in  secret.  For  instance,  when  one  has  the 
credit  of  being  amiable,  can  one  box  everybody's 
cars  when  one  is  out  of  humor  with  everybody  ? 


11. 

THE  countess'  GIFTS. 

After  the  grand  christening  was  over,  things 
subsided  gradually  into  the  old  routine.  The  six 
babios  were  washed  and  dressed,  and  taken  out  for 
an  airing  every  morning;  what  happened  to  one 
happened  to  all  without  regard  to  any  natural  dif- 
ferences of  constitution.  And  as  the  queen  chose 
to  dress  them  exactly  alike,  and  blue  was  her  fa- 
vorite color,  Novella,  who  was  as  brown  as  a  gy^psy, 
had  to  wear  sashes  that  made  her  look  yellower 
than  ever.  However,  she  cared  not  a  whit  what 
she  wore,  and  in  process  of  time  she  had  a  mouth- 
ful of  little  white  pearls  intended  for  teeth,  that 
made  her  as  pretty  as  her  fair  sister  ]\Iosella.  A 
charming  little  set  they  were,  and  in  her  devotion 
to  them  the  queen  was  in  danger  of  forgetting 
affairs  of  state  and  all  the  formalities  due  to  her 
station.  It  was  whispered  abroad  that  as  soon  as 
the  princesses  got  upon  their  feet  there  were  seven 
children  in  the  palace  instead  of  six — the  queen 
being  coaxed  into  romping  with  her  pets  instead  of 
training  them  in  the  way  they  should  go. 

The  Countess  Reynosa,  meanwhile,  studied  the 
children  while  the  queen  amused  herself  with  them, 
and  rnade  herself  mistress  of  the  characters  and 
dispositions  of  each.  She  then  announced  that  her 
long-delayed  gifts  were  now  to  be  presented.  Not 
a  little  curiosity  was  felt  to  know  what  these  gifts 
might  be.     The  Court  Journal  stopped  the  press  in 


14:  SIX  LITTLE  PRINCESSES. 

order  to  learn  the  news,  and  to  convey  it  at  once  to  all 
parts  of  the  kingdom.  If  a  nod  of  the  head  of  the 
countess  was  significant,  what  must  it  be  with  her 
presents  !  She  was  well  known  to  be  very  rich, 
and  to  possess  old  family  jewels  o^  fabulous  value, 
and  as  she  had  taken  a  vow  never  to  marry,  what 
could  be  more  natural  than  that  she  should  divide 
these  treasures  among  the  princesses  ?  What  then 
was  the  consternation  of  the  whole  court  when  her 
gift  to  Novella  proved  to  be  nothing  but  a  pen  ! 

To  Mosella,  nothing  daunted  by  the  suppressed 
whispers  of  amazement  about  her,  she  presented  an 
old  piano  that  had  stood  unmolested  in  one  corner 
of  her  palace  half  a  dozen  years. 

To  Reima,  the  third  sister,  she  gave  a  box  of 
colors  and  a  handful  of  pencils. 

To  Papeta  she  offered  all  the  half-worn  sheets 
her  own  singing-master  had  left  behind  him,  when 
he  had  fled  from  her  palace  declaring  that  mortal 
man  never  heard  such  a  voice. 

To  Moina,  a  pair  of  scissors,  a  thimble,  and 
some  needles. 

Last  of  all  it  was  the  turn  of  Delicieuse,  and 
the  little  creature  was  led  by  her  nurse  to  receive 
what  every  one  felt  was  to  be  the  crowning  gift  of 
all.  For  the  child  held  every  heart  at  her  fingers' 
ends ;  whether  it  was  her  extraordinary  beauty,  or 
her  sweet,  graceful  manners  and  winning  way,  or 
all  together,  she  was  the  favorite  of  the  king,  the 
idol  of  the  queen,  the  pride  and  the  gloory  of  the 
whole  court.  As  she  approached  the  countess,  curi- 
osity made  everyone  silent,  yet  even  the  grim  prime 
minster  would  have  been  glad  to  press  the  charming 
creature  to  his  heart.  A  murmur  of  surprise  and  dis- 
pleasure ran  through  the  court  when  the  countess 


SIX  LITTLE  PRINCESSES.  15 

Stooped  and  kissed  the  young  princess,  and  then  only 
gave  her  one  of  her  sagacious  nods  ! 

Delicieuse  herself  seemed  perfectly  satisfied.  She 
rejoined  her  sisters  with  a  brow  as  serene  as  ever, 
and  took  leave  of  the  king  and  queen  with  her  usual 
grace  and  sweetness,  soon  disappearing  among  the 
little  princesses,  each  of  whom  contended  for  the 
privilege  of  walking  hand  in  hand  with  her. 

The  queen,  used  as  she  was  to  the  vagaries  of 
Reynosa,  found  it  hard  to  submit  to  this  new 
freak,  looking,  as  it  did,  so  much  like  child's  play. 
But  as  she  felt  a  sincere  respect  and  affection  for 
her,  and  was,  besides,  too  kind-hearted  to  wish  to 
wound  even  an  enemy,  if  she  had  one,  she  thanked 
her  friend  for  her  interest  in  her  children,  and 
promised  that  her  gifts  should  be  carefully  preserved 
and  cared  for. 

"  By  no  means  !  "  cried  the  countess.  "  Each 
child  is  to  have  charge  of  its  own  gift.  Other- 
wise my  object  in  presenting  it  will  be  defeated." 

The  queen  smiled  and  yielded.  It  was  not 
really  worth  while  to  dispute  about  such  trifles. 
The  ancestral  diamonds  of  the  countess  would 
have  been  quite  another  affair.  She  had  quite 
forgotten  the  whole  thing,  when  one  morning  she 
saw  Novella  perched  at  a  table  in  a  high  chair,  so 
intent  upon  business  as  to  take  no  heed  of  her 
presence. 

On  approaching  the  child,  what  was  her  sur- 
prise to  find  the  little  creature  engaged  in  copving, 
from  a  book  before  her,  the  letters  of  the  alphabet. 
As,  thus  far,  no  attempt  had  been  made  to  educate 
the  young  princesses,  this  spectacle  was  wonderfully 
quaint,  and  the  queen,  after  gazing  upon  it  a  mo- 
ment in  silence,  burst  forth  in  a  merry  laugh.  The 
attendants   hastened   to   explain   that   the  princess 


16  BIX  LITTLE  PRINCESSES. 

would  have  ink,  and  paper,  as  well  as  the  pen  the 

countess  had  given  her,  and  that  the  delight  of  the 
child  in  their  use  made  it  quite  impossible  to  keep 
her  robes  and  her  hands  in  the  immaculate  con- 
dition  due   to   her   rank. 

As  to  the  princess,  she  could  hardly  spare  time 
to  look  at  the  queen  or  answer  her  questions.  Her 
little  hands  trembled  with  eagerness,  and  her  eyes 
glowed  like  suns  and  stars,  as  she  formed  the  rude 
characters  upon  the  paper,  sighed  at  their  want  of 
perfection,  and  patiently  studied  her  model. 

The  queen  could  not  help  sympathizing  with 
the  child's  pleasure,  though  she  wished  the  countess 
had  not,  by  her  gift,  suggested  an  amusement  that 
made  its  fingers  such  a  sight  to  behold. 

Passing  into  the  next  apartment  she  found  Moina 
seated  on  the  carpet,  with  half  a  dozen  dolls  about 
her,  and  a  little  workbasket  by  her  side. 

In  her  small  white  hands  she  held  the  scissors 
given  her  by  Reynosa,  and  fashioning  a  garment, 
tiny  in  form,  but  exquisite  in  shape.  Delicieuse, 
with  her  arms  full  of  dolls,  sat  beside  her,  looking 
on. 

"  What  are  you  two  little  darlings  playing  ? " 
asked  the    queen,    stooping    down  to  caress  them. 

"  I  have  such  nice  things  !  "  cried  Moina. 
"  See  !  scissors,  thimble,  needles,  thread  !  I  am 
making  new  dresses  for  all  the  dolls  in  the  palace." 

And  as  she  spoke  she  used  the  scissors  with  a 
deft  and  womanly  air  that  set  the  queen  laughing 
once  more  with  that  musical  laugh  of  hers  that 
would  have  scandalized  the  court. 

"  I  am  doing  nothing,"  said  Delicieuse,  rising, 
and  throwing  herself  into  the  arms  of  her  royal 
mother.  "  When  Moina  has  dressed  all  the  dolls 
Ave  shall  play  with  them  together." 


SIX  LITTLE  PRINX'ESSES.  17 

^Meanwhile,  she  wound  the  queen's  curls  around 
her  fingers,  kissed  her  twenty  or  thirty  times,  and 
looked  Hke  a  httle  white  angel  that  never  soiled 
its  fingers  with  ink,  or  littered  the  carpet  with 
scraps.  "  What  a  beautiful,  what  a  lovely  child 
she  is !  "  thought  the  queen,  and  then,  with  the  little 
princess  by  the  hand,  she  passed  on  to  the  room 
devoted  to  Reima. 

Here  she  found  new  cause  for  surprise  and  amuse- 
ment, for  Reima  had  spread  out  her  box  of  colors, 
and  was  making  vigorous  daubs  on  an  enormous 
sheet  of  paper,  with  such  zeal  that  she  did  not  hear 
the  approach  of  her  visitors. 

Her  nurse  came  forward  to  excuse  herself  for 
permitting  such  employment.  She  declared  that 
all  the  interest  the  princess  now  took  in  her  toys 
was  as  models  for  copy ;  her  dolls,  in  fact,  had 
all  been  turned  into  lay  figures,  and  were  arranged 
in  attitudes  for  the  purpose. 

After  greeting  the  child,  and  bidding  her  good- 
morning,  the  queen,  who  began  to  find  the  aspect 
of  things  growing  serious,  proceeded  to  the  apart- 
ment of  the  Princess  Mosella.  As  she  approached 
it  she  heard  sounds  not,  on  the  whole,  unmusical, 
pealing  from  it,  and  beheld  this  small  scrap  of  hu- 
manity gravely  occupied  at  her  piano,  with  the  air 
of  a  master.  Xear  her  stood  Papeta,  music  in  hand, 
singing  in  a  clear,  sweet  voice  that  transfixed  the 
queen  upon  the  threshold.  Delicieuse  ran  up  to 
them  with  kisses  and  caresses.  The  two  little  mites 
stopped  playing  and  singing,  to  glance  upon  her 
with  condescension,  and  to  return  her  caress,  though 
with  a  somewhat  preoccupied  air.  The  concert  then 
proceeded. 

At  this  moment  the  Countess  Reynosa  came 
flying  in ;  she  fluttered  from  one  to  another,  saluted- 


18  SIX  LITTLE  PRINCESSES. 

the  queen  with  mock  reverence,  kissed  Mosella  and 
Papeta,  and  then  snatching  at  Dehcieuse,  she  folded 
the  charming  child  in  her  arms  in  a  transport  of 
affection. 

It  was  now  the  hour  for  the  morning  airing  of 
the  princesses,  and  with  great  labor  their  attendants 
were  coaxing,  threatening,  and  conjuring  them  to 
tear  themselves  away  from  their  employments,  in 
order  to  be  arrayed  for  the  purpose.  Moina  begged 
for  one  moment  in  which  to  put  in  order  the  lit- 
tle garment  she  was  cutting;  Reima  was  afraid 
someone  would  touch  her  colors  in  her  absence ; 
Novella  wanted  to  finish  her  page,  and  Mosella  and 
Papeta  their  song.  Delicieuse  alone,  having  noth- 
ing of  such  vast  importance  to  do,  thought  of  the 
drive  with  pleasure,  and  was  docile  under  the  in- 
fliction of  dressing. 

At  last,  after  long  bustle  and  parade,  during 
which  some  tears  were  shed,  and  some  frowns  dis- 
played, all  six  were  got  comfortably  off,  the  scraps 
Vv'ere  gathered  from  Moina's  carpet,  Novella's  pen 
and  ink  were  put  away,  the  piano  closed,  and  the 
music  laid  in  order.  Reima's  possessions  alone  re- 
mained untouched ;  she  had  won  a  promise  to  that 
effect  before  she  could  be  persuaded  to  leave  her 
treasures. 

The  queen  led  Reynosa  to  her  own  apartments, 
and  the  two  sat  down  to  talk  like  other  mortals. 

"  Well  !  "  cried  the  countess,  "  I  wish  you  joy 
of  your  five  geniuses  !  " 

"  My  five  geniuses  !  "  repeated  the  queen. 

"  Oh,  I  am  willing  to  allow  that  there  are  six, 
if  that  pleases  you  better.  Indeed,  one  may  almost 
say  with  truth  that  Delicieuse  is  a  genius  as  well  as 
her  sisters.  For  her  power  of  winning  everybody's 
heart  is  almost  like  an  inspiration." 


SIX  LITTLE  PRINCESSES.  19 

"  What  can  you  mean,  you  barbarous  creature  ?  " 
cried  the  queen. 

''  Onlv  that  Novella  will  one  day  astonish  you 
with  her  writings,  Mosella  and  Papeta  with  their 
music,  Reima  with  her  paintings,  and  :Moina  with 
a  skill  only  inferior  to  theirs  because  so  practical 
in  its  character/' 

The  queen  hardly  knew  what  to  say.  Reynosa, 
however,  hummed  a  tune,  and  went  and  looked  out 
of  the  window  with  a  nonchalant  air. 

"  I  suppose  it  is  too  late  to  help  it  now,"  the 
queen  said  at  last. 

"  It  is,  indeed,"  replied  the  countess,  returnmg 
to  her  seat.  "  Genius  may  not  be  needed  by 
princesses;  in  fact,  I  can  see  that  it  may  have  its 
inconveniences.  But  you  must  remember  that  your 
daughters  were  not  made  to  order.  When  nature 
endowed  them  with  these  choice  gifts  she  did  not 
know  that  you  were  going  to  present  them  with  roy- 

altv  also." 

''  But  they  are  still  very  young.  Education  may 
modify,  if  it  does  not  positively  alter,  their  tastes." 

"  I  advise  you  to  try,"  replied  the  countess  dryly, 
and  she  gave  one  of  those  dreadful  little  nods  that 
mean  just  the  contrary. 

For  once  in  her  life,  which,  as  she  was  a  queen, 
seems  rather  singular,  her  majesty  determined  to 
have  her  own  way,  nod  who  might.  She  summoned 
all  the  wisest,  most  skillful  masters  in  the  land  to 
the  palace,  and  directed  them  to  take  charge -of  the 
education  of  the  princesses  forthwith.  Their 
studies  were  to  be  alike,  and  they  were  to  learn 
everything  save  needlework,  and  all  were  to  become 
alike  accomplished. 

The  princesses  were  not  angels;  they  were  only 
geniuses.     They  cried  and  pouted  over  their  lessons 


^0  SIX  LITTLE  PRINCESSES. 

very  much  like  other  children,  wore  out  an  unac- 
countable number  of  books,  used  up  a  stock  of 
stationery,  and  thrummed  six  pianos  out  of  tune. 
Moina  learned  to  read  and  to  write,  and  got  a 
smattering  of  a  number  of  other  things.  She  drew 
and  painted  horribly,  and  played  and  sang  like  a 
machine.  Reima  learned  all  that  Moina  did,  and 
a  good  deal  beside,  but  it  was  through  floods  of  tears 
that  she  fixed  in  her  brain  the  lasks  assigned  her. 
Most  of  her  masters  found  her  very  dull,  and 
thought  it  a  mercy  that  she  could  hide  this  dullness 
under  the  glitter  and  show  of  royalty.  But  he 
whose  happy  lot  it  was  to  guide  her  fingers  over 
the  canvas  deplored  the  fate  that  had  made  her  a 
princess,  and  envied  her  the  talents  she  did  not 
need. 

Mosella  and  Papeta  learned  also  a  little  of  every- 
thing. But  they  flew  from  books  as  birds  fly  from 
cages.  Mosella  made  her  piano  obedient  to  every 
throb  of  her  heart.  Papeta  sang  in  a  way  that  al- 
most drew  angels  down  to  listen. 

As  to  Novella,  she  picked  up  everything  with 
enthusiasm.  Her  paintings  were  not  execrable 
like  those  of  Moina,  and  music  was  not  without 
some  charm  for  her.  She:  devoured  rather  than 
read  the  books  selected  for  her,  and  outran  the 
tasks  assigned  by  her  m?.sters,  in  her  eagerness 
to  know  more.  Yet  she  contrived  to  be  in  dis- 
grace half  the  time.  Her  fingers,  that  should 
have  been  white,  were  always  black ;  her  dresses 
had  an  innate  faculty  of  getting  torn  and  soiled ; 
she  never  saw  anything  an  inch  before  her  nose, 
and  was  constantly  tumbling  about  in  a  most 
inglorious  way.  As  to  etlquettr;,  no  mortal  could 
teach  her  the  meaning  of  the  word.  She  never 
knew  where  to  put  her  hands,    never   sat    straight 


SIX  LITTLE  PRINCESSES.  21 

in  her  chair,  never  looked  as  if  she  had  just  come 
out  of  a  bandbox. 

DeHcieuse,  meanwhile,  learned  nicely  of  every- 
thing a  little.  She  had  some  respectable  draw- 
ings, could  sing  and  play  with  a  certain  precision, 
and  never  vexed  her  masters  by  dullness  or  in- 
attention. Her  sisters  all  fancied  her  to  be  vastly 
superior  to  themselves,  since  she  was  as  beautiful 
as  a  fairy,  never  got  into  disgrace,  said  her  les- 
sons without  ever  a  failure,  and  wrote  her  copies 
with  never  a  blot.  Withal  she  had  caresses  and 
gav  words  for  everybody,  and  was  always  in  good 
humor. 

Thus  the  childhood  of  the  six  sisters  passed  away 
amid  the  sorrows  and  the  joys,  the  tears  and  the 
smiles  that  are  inseparable  from  that  period  of  life. 
At  sixteen  a  rnote  charming  little  group  could  be 
found  nowhere,  blasters  attended  them  no  longer, 
petty  childish  follies  were  outgrown;  they  loved 
each  other  dearly,  and  were  seldom  separated.  By 
degrees,  in  spite  of  the  efforts  of  the  queen  to  make 
them  all  alike,  each  fell  into  the  place  designed  for 
her  by  nature.  ^loina  sat  all  day  with  her  scissors 
or  her  needle  in  her  hand,  and  fashioned  her  own 
dresses  and  those  of  her  sisters.  She  could  not  find 
time  to  read,  she  said,  nor  to  ])ractice,  and  wondered 
how  others  could.  She  made  herself  and  the  other 
princesses  look  as  if  their  garments  grew  upon 
their  youthful  figures.  Once  having  worn  one  of 
her  dresses,  they  quarreled  with  their  seamstress, 
complained  of  being  pinched  here  and  pulled  there, 
and  kept  her  completely  busy  and  completely 
happv.  The  queen  no  longer  resisted  the  tide ; 
she  had  a  spacious  apartment  fitted  up  for  the  use 
of  the  princesses,  and  sat  among  them,  watching 
them   with   admiration   and   delight.     In   her   cor- 


22  SIX  LITTLE  PRINCESSES. 

ner  Moina  sat  at  her  work,  saying  little,  but  hear- 
ing all  that  went  en,  and  accomplishing  a  great 
deal.  Reima  had  her  easel  not  far  off ;  no  one 
was  allowed  to  touch  her  portion  of  the  sanctuary, 
and  her  skillful  hand  produced  in  exquisite  colors 
the  creations  of  her  brain.  Mosella  and  Papeta 
sang  and  played  and  composed,  and  made  the 
lofty  apartment  resound  with  wondrous  harmony. 
Novella,  in  a  remote  corner,  sat  at  her  desk  and 
wrote.  Sometimes  as  her  pen  flew  over  her 
paper,  she  laughed  aloud,  and  sometimes  she  cried ; 
then  when  the  mood  was  over,  and  the  inspiration 
fled,  her  sisters  liked  to  rouse  her  flagging  spirits 
by  making  her  read  aloud  to  them  the  tales  and 
verses  she  had  written.  While  she  read,  Moina 
worked  patiently  and  cheerfully  in  her  corner,  and 
Reima  painted  in  hers,  wdiile  Mosella  and  Papeta 
copied  music  in  theirs.  As  for  Delicieuse,  she 
wanted  no  corner  of  her  own,  but  was  any  and 
everywhere  as  her  mood  led  her.  Sometimes  she 
watched  Moina  while  she  fashioned  the  dresses 
destined  for  her  own  graceful  figure,  beguiling  the 
time  with  lively  chat ;  at  others  she  hovered  near 
Reima,  admiring  the  skill  and  the  enthusiasm  with 
which  she  pursued  her  art.  She  was  welcomed  by 
all,  for  as  she  had  no  decided  taste  of  her  own, 
she  had  no  hobbies  to  thrust  in  people's  way,  nor 
was  she  ever  so  busy  that  she  was  not  glad  at  any 
moment  to  listen  to  Novella  when  she  read,  or  to 
Papeta  when  she  sang.  Her  facile  nature  made 
her  drop  whatever  she  had  in  hand,  to  seize  what- 
ever the  world  threw  at  and  asked  her  to  catch. 

Nothing  could  be  more  delightful  than  this  in- 
nocent family  group;  it  came  near  being  a  little 
heaven  below. 

But  the   king  complained  that   the   queen  kept 


SIX  LITTLE  PRINCESESS.  23 

his  charming  daughters  all  to  herself.  He  had 
pretty  nearly  forgotten  that  they  were  not  his 
own  children  ;  and  sometimes,  when  a  little  off  his 
guard,  was  known  to  boast  that  Delicicuse  had  in- 
herited her  beauty  and  her  extraordinary  power  to 
please  from  his  mother,  the  illustrious  Queen 
Ariana.  Reima's  love  of  art  was  also  derived  from 
one  of  his  ancestors,  as  were  the  musical  powers  of 
IMosella  and  Papeta.  As  to  Aloina,  that  good  and 
useful  creature,  he  was  sure  he  should  have  had 
some  relative  precisely  like  her  had  not  royal  eti- 
quette forbidden  the  display  of  such  homely  talents. 
The  queen  found  these  little  delusions  of  his  some- 
what amusing,  but  on  the  whole  they  gave  her 
pleasure,  as  showing  that  the  king  was  proud  and 
fond  of  their  adopted  children.  To  gratify  him 
she  had  them  introduced  at  court,  where,  arrayed 
in  the  graceful  folds  of  Moina's  disposing,  and  the 
charms  of  a  simple,  unspoiled  girlhood,  they  were 
received  almost  with  acclamations.  The  Countess 
Reynosa's  sagacity  in  the  choice  of  six  such  rare 
maidens  was  the  admiration  of  everyone ;  people 
said  there  never  was  a  little  head  so  full  of  wit  as 
herg. 


III. 

A   WICKED   FAIRY. 

After  a  dazzling  evening,  spent  in  the  most 
brilliant  society,  the  sisters  went  to  bed,  tired  and 
more  or  less  out  of  sorts.  Moina  was  the  first  to 
awake  next  morning.  She  rose  at  once,  and 
after  a  time,  took  her  work  and  sat  down  with  it 
in  her  usual  place.  Many  costly  and  beautiful 
fabrics  lay  scattered  about  her,  from  which  she 
was  to  fashion  new  robes  for  the  second  appear- 
ance of  herself  and  sisters  at  court.  The  scissors 
moved  in  her  skillful  hands  as  by  magic ;  she 
seemed  to  cut  and  slash  at  random,  while  she 
really  used  them  with  precision.  Presently  she 
took  her  pretty  golden  thimble  from  her  basket, 
and  would  have  placed  it  on  her  finger  but  that 
some  substance  entirely  filled  it. 

'*  How  tiresome  !  "  said  she,  and  with  the  point 
of  her  scissors  she  picked  at  the  obstruction  a  little 
impatiently.  Moina  was  not  an  angel.  She  was 
only  a  kind-hearted  little  workwoman.  She  re- 
coiled in  some  alarm  when,  at  the  touch  of  the 
scissors,  there  flew  from  the  thimble  what  she  at 
first  supposed  to  be  a  horrible  winged  insect.  It 
lighted  on  the  edge  of  the  table,  and  looked  at 
her  out  of  two  large,  greenish  eyes.  She  saw 
now  that  it  was  no  insect,  but  a  diminutive,  fear- 
fully ugly  little  creature  in  human  shape :  its  wings 
suggested  the  idea  of  a  cherub,  its  face  that  of  a 
d^mon, 


SIX  LITTLE  PRINX'ESSES.  25 

"  Poor  child  !  "  it  began,  in  a  voice  as  fine  and 
as  sharp  as  a  number  twelve  needle ;  "  here  you 
sit,  stitch,  stitch,  stitch,  while  your  sisters  preserve 
their  beauty  by  lying  in  bed.  How  exquisite  your 
work  is  !  How  industrious  and  patient  you  are  ! 
It  is  strange  that  the  world  overlooks  such  merit 
as  yours." 

''  I  do  not  work  in  order  to  please  the  world," 
returned  Moina,  recovering  from  her  terror.  *'  I 
do  so  because  I  have  no  talent  like  my  sisters,  and 
because  I  thus  make  myself  useful  to  them." 

"  I  know  how  unselfish  you  are,"  replied  the 
other,  whom  we  will  call  Xeida ;  and  her  hideous 
yellow  face  grew  yellower  as  she  spoke.  "  It  is 
on  this  very  account  I  feel  such  sympathy  with 
and  pity  for  you.  I  saw  you  last  night  sit  alone  and 
neglected,  while  all  the  young  princes  and  noble- 
men paid  homage  to  your  sisters." 

Xow,  ^loina,  absorbed  in  the  novelty  of  the 
brilliant  scene  about  her,  had  not  asked  herself 
how  much  attention  she  had  received,  nor  felt  her- 
self neglected.  But  it  is  the  easiest  thing  in  the 
world  to  persuade  people  that  they  are  miserable, 
and  that  justice  is  not  done  them. 

"  It  is  true,"  she  replied  thoughtfully,  "  that 
I  sat  alone  and  neglected  nearly  the  whole  even- 
ing. People  gathered  about  my  sisters,  and 
quite  forgot  me." 

"  You  were  too  modest,  and  allowed  your  sis- 
ters to  put  forth  all  their  efforts  to  shine,  and  to 
win  admiration.  And  not  one  of  them  would 
have  been  fit  to  be  seen  but  for  you.  The  Princess 
Novella  never  knows  what  she  has  on ;  as  long  as 
she  can  scribble  as  if  her  life  depended  upon  it, 
she  would  be  content  to  go  clothed  in  sackcloth. 
With  the  Princesses  ^losella  and    Papeta,  it  is  al- 


26  SIX  LITTLE  PRINCESSES. 

most  as  bad.  The  Princess  Reima  has  no  taste, 
and  never  has  put  on  a  sash  otherwise  than  awry. 
As  to  the  Princess  Dehcieuse,  she  is  a  mere  butter- 
fly— all  wings  and  gay  colors ;  well  enough  to  look 
at  and  admire,  but  the  idlest,  most  useless  creature 
imaginable.  Think,  now,  that  this  worthless 
character  attracts  everybody,  while  your  sterling 
virtues  are  despised." 

Moina  might  have  replied,  if  she  had  had  her 
wits  about  her,  that  to  be  admired  is  not  the  main 
business  of  life.  But  she  only  threw  down  the 
robe  she  had  just  cut  so  tastefully,  saying: 

"  My  sisters  shall  see  that,  if  I  have  not  their 
talents  and  their  beauty,  I  am  yet  of  some  import- 
ance, after  all.  I  will  not  sit  at  work  all  day  like 
a  common  seamstress." 

Neida,  quite  satisfied  with  her  morning's  work, 
flew  away,  leaving  Moina  sitting  moping  in  her 
chair.  Some  insects,  not  content  wnth  stinging  their 
victims,  must  needs  leave  their  sting  behind.  Neida 
took  care  to  leave  hers  wherever  she  went. 

When  Mosella  came  to  her  piano  half  an  hour 
later,  she  found  Moina  seated  at  it,  making  all 
sorts  of  discords.  She  stood  waiting  a  few  mo- 
ments, expecting  her  sister  to  rise  and  give  her 
the  place  she  always  occupied  at  this  time.  As 
she  stood,  Moina's  execution  really  distressed  her. 

'*  Moina,  dear,"  she  said  at  last,  "  music  does  not 
seem  to  be  your  forte — does  it  ?  " 

"  It  is  time  I  became  something  more  than  a 
mere  seamstress,"  said  Moina,  drumming  away. 
"  Why  should  you  monopolize  all  the  music  ?  " 

Before  Mosella  had  time  to  answer,  her  atten- 
tion was  attracted  by  a  strange  buzzing  at  one  of 
the  windows. 

"  What  hideous   noise  is  that  ? "   thought   she ; 


SIX  LITTLE  PRINCESSES.  27 

and  she  ran  to  the  window,  where  Xeida  was 
making  these  sounds  in  order  to  draw  her  away  to 
this  corner. 

'*  Good-morning,  my  child,"  she  began ;  "  are 
you  feeHng  quite  yourself  after  last  night's  fa- 
tigue ?  " 

"  I  was  not  much  fatigued,"  Mosella  replied  in 
great  surprise. 

"  Indeed  !  People  said  that  being  forced  to  play 
for  such  a  length  of  time  must  have  been  weari- 
some. Indeed,  it  seemed  almost  cruel  to  let  you 
exert  yourself  so  much  where  so  few  listened  to 
your   performances." 

Mosella  colored. 

"  I  did  not  observe  that  people  failed  to  listen." 
she  said.  "  However,  I  enjoyed  playing  because 
I  am  so  fond  of  music." 

"  But  is  it  not  strange  that,  rather  than  listen 
to  such  music  as  yours,  everybody  should  run 
wild  after  that  pretty  sister  of  yours,  who 
hasn't  a  talent  or  an  accomplishment  of  any  sort  ?  " 

'*  Do  you  mean  the  Princess  Delicieuse  ? " 
asked  Mosella.  "  Ah,  but  she  has  something 
better  than  talent.  She  has  the  art  of  making  every- 
body like  her." 

"  That  is  just  what  I  am  saying.  Real  genius 
like  yours  passes  unnoticed,  unrewarded ;  while  a 
pleasing  face,  a  few  soft  purrs,  a  pat  of  a  velvet 
paw,  draw  crowds  of  worshipers." 

"  I  wish,  indeed,  that  I  were  as  charming  as 
Delicieuse,"  said  ]\Iosella.  She  forgot,  for  the 
moment,  all  the  unalloyed  delight  she  had  had  in 
the  exercise  of  the  gift  nature  had  lavished  upon 
her.  To  win  admiration  and  applause  seemed 
now  the  only  object  worthy  pursuit. 

She   stood   looking  listlessly   from  the  window, 


28  SIX  LITTLE  PRINCESSES. 

that  poor  resource  of  the  disconsolate ;  and  Neida 
flew  off  to   finish  her  work. 

Papeta  sat  at  her  piano  and  composed  a  song. 
Her  voice  rose  clear  and  sweet,  and  filled  the  lofty 
apartment  with  melody.  Neida  hovered  near,  ready 
to  put  in  a  word,  and  finally  alighted  on  the  shoulder 
of  the  princess,  where  she  could  whisper  in  her 
ear. 

"  Your  voice  is  perfectly  exquisite  !  "  she  cried. 
"  I  was  at  court  last  night,  and  heard  you  sing. 
But  I  could  not  fully  enjoy  it,  such  a  chattering  and 
talking  went  on  all  the  time." 

''  I  sang  for  those  only  who  preferred  not  to 
talk,"  replied  Papeta. 

"  But  how  could  people  talk  when  such  heavenly 
sounds  filled  the  rooms  ?  I  looked  at  the  Princess 
Novella  with  amazement.  She  had  a  troop  of 
young  noblemen  about  her,  and  kept  them  intent  on 
every  word  that  fell  from  her  lips.  Their  ears 
were  for  her  alone." 

"  It  must  be  delightful  to  have  such  a  flow  of 
speech  as  the  Princess  Novella,"  replied  Mosella. 
"  And  she  writes  with  as  much  ease  as  she  talks. 
I  do  not  wonder  people  like  to  be  in  her  company." 

"  You  speak  like  a  loyal,  true-hearted  sister,  as 
I  am  sure  you  are,"  returned  Neida.  "  But  it  is 
hard  that  such  a  voice  as  yours  should  not  silence 
every  other  voice.  Why,  in  the  midst  of  one  of 
your  most  touching  tender  songs,  when  every 
sound  should  have  been  hushed,  I  heard  the  Count- 
ess Montanelle  whisper  to  her  neighbor :  '  This, 
singing  and  thrumming  is  all  very  well,  but  the 
Princess  Moina  is  worth  all  her  sisters  put  together. 
She  actually  makes  with  her  own  hands  all  the  ex- 
quisite dresses  they  wear ! '  " 

Mosella  smiled. 


SIX  LITTLE  PRINCESSES.  29 

"  Poor    Moina !     Her    mind    is    so    empty    that 
she    finds    her    scissors    and    thimble    quite  a  re- 
source !  "   she   said. 

As  she  uttered  these  words  she  felt  no  little 
contempt  for  the  Countess  ^lontanelle. 

While  this  conversation  was  going  on  Reima 
stood  before  her  easel,  her  fine  face  all  in  a  glow. 
A  conception  of  wondrous  beauty  had  come  to 
her  during  the  early  hours  of  the  night,  when 
unusual   excitement  kept   her  awake. 

She  had  made  a  hasty  sketch,  and  now  with 
eager  joy  had  prepared  her  colors,  and  was  ready  for 
the  details  of  her  work.  A  bee,  as  she  fancied, 
alighted  on  the  canvas ;  and  she  was  about  to  brush 
it  ofif,  when  Xeida,  for  she  it  was,  cried  out : 

"  Do  not  drive  me  away,  beautiful  princess  !  I 
have  much  to  say  to  you  before  you  begin  your 
day's  work." 

''  Another  time  will  do  as  well,"  said  Reima. 
"  Pray  do  not  disturb  me." 

"  I  saw  your  paintings  as  they  were  exhibited 
last  night,"  said  Xeida.  "  Among  them  are  works 
of  real  genius.  But  genius  is  not  worth  much  in 
this  world.  A  pretty  face,  a  winning  address,  a 
thrum  or  two  of  music,  an  agreeable  voice — these 
attract  the  multitude,  while  such  as  you  are  passed 
by  and  overlooked." 

"  One  cannot  expect  to  have  genius  and  beauty, 
and  all  the  gifts  of  nature,"  returned  Reima. 
**  For  my  part,  I  am  content  with  the  share  that 
has  fallen  to  me.  Xo  tongue  can  tell  the  delight 
I  take  in  my  art." 

"  That  is  all  very  well  while  the  enthusiasm  of 
youth  sustains  you,"  replied  Xeida.  ''  But,  ere 
long,    your    heart  will    assert  its  rights.     It    will 


30  SIX  LITTLE  PRINCESSES. 

cry  out  for  love,  and  will  not  be  pacified  by  ad- 
miration." 

"  Admiration  !  "  cried  Reima ;  "  who  talks  of  ad- 
miration ?" 

"  Everybody  talks  of  it.  Your  sister,  the  Prin- 
cess Delicieuse,  does  more.     She  wins  it." 

"  Let  her  have  it,  then,"  said  Reima,  a  little  pen- 
isively.     "  I  for  one  can  do  without  it." 

"  Can  you  do  without  love  ?  " 

*'  Nay,  I  cannot  and  do  not,"  cried  Reima. 
"  My  sisters  all  love  me.  And  so  does  the  queen, 
my  mother." 

Neida  laughed.  Her  laugh  was  more  horrible 
than  words  can  tell. 

"  Paint  away,  then  !  "  she  cried ;  "  and,  while 
you  are  absorbed  in  your  art,  let  the  world  pass 
you  by  and  forget  you.  The  merest  daub  from 
the  Princess  Delicieuse  will  be  fought  for,  while 
you,  a  child  of  genius,  must  remain  sufficient  unto 
yourself." 

So  saying,  Neida  flew  off.  Reima  remained  silent 
and  perplexed. 

"  I,  too,  crave  the  joy  of  winning  love  and  favor, 
but  it  is  denied  me  !  "  she  thought.  "  Delicieuse 
wins  both  without  an  effort.  Why  should  she  pos- 
sess so  divine  a  gift,  and  I  have  merely  the  power  to 
spread  colors  over  canvas." 

As  she  spoke  she  threw  her  brushes  from  her 
in  disgust. 

"  What  can  have  happened  to  my  ink  ?  "  cried 
Novella.  "  It  has  all  dried  up,  and  I  am  in  such 
haste  to  write.  Ah,  such  beautiful  images  are 
floating  in  my  brain  !  They  will  be  gone  forever 
if  I  do  not  seize  them  at  once  !  " 

"  It  is  I  who  have  dried  up  your  ink,  noble  lady," 


six  LITTLE  PRINCESSES.  31 

said  Neida,  coming  forth  and  sitting  down  on  the 
desk   of   the   princess. 

''And  who  are  you?"  asked  Novella,  looking 
with  disgust  at  the  hateful  little  figure. 

"  I  am  one  who  cannot  bear  the  injustice  of  the 
world,"  replied  Neida.  ''  When  I  listen  to  your 
words,  so  full  of  fire  and  passion ;  when  I  look 
over  your  shoulder  and  read  what  you  write  in 
those  favored  moments  when  you  enchain  and 
imprison  the  exquisite  images  that  come  to  you 
as  by  an  inspiration ;  when  I  do  this,  I  say,  I  am 
lost  in  amazement  and  filled  with  shame.  Half 
the  world  prefers  to  you  a  simple  girl  who  has 
not  a  thought  beyond  her  needle.  The  other  half 
runs  after  a  beautiful  face  or  an  agreeable  voice. 
You  may  talk  like  an  oracle,  and  write  with  a  pen 
dipped  in  fire,  yet  only  here  and  there  will  you 
find  a  worshiper." 

"  I  do  not  write  because  I  want  worshipers," 
returned  Novella,  much  amused.  ''  I  write  be- 
cause I  cannot  help  it.  I  enjoy  the  thoughts  that 
come  to  me  as  dreams  come,  I  know  not  how  or 
whence.  I  put  forth  my  hand  to  catch  them,  as  I 
would  catch  the  birds  that  fly  over  my  head." 

"  Yet  I  see  you  often  retire  to  a  hidden  cor- 
ner, there  to  sit  in  darkness  and  sadness.  This 
does  not  look  like  enjoyment." 

"  I  believe,"  replied  Novella,  "  that  a  certain 
sadness  ever  follows,  if  it  does  not  accompany, 
moments  of  inspiration.  Perfect,  unalloyed  fe- 
licity I  do  not  expect  to  find  on  earth." 

*'  Your  sister  Papeta  has  no  hours  of  despond- 
ency. She  is  as  joyous  as  the  birds  like  which 
she  sings.  The  Princess  Moina  sits  all  day  in  calm 
content,  the  victim  of  no  moods  and  tense  like 
yours.     The  Princess  Delicieuse,  without  a  ray  of 


32  SIX  LITTLE  PRINCESSES. 

genius,  is  preferred  before  you  by  high  and  low, 
the  learned  as  well  as  the  unlearned." 

Novella  sighed. 

"  I  should  gladly  be  beloved,  as  she  is  !  "  she 
said.  "  I  should  like  Moina's  calm  and  placid 
nature ;  at  least,  there  are  times  when  I  would 
gladly  exchange  my  gifts  for  hers. 

"  I  feel  for  you  !  "  cried  Neida.  "  Your  hap- 
pines.  is  a  fitful  thing,  that  comes  and  goes  with 
the  passing  moment.  You  are  on  the  mountain 
tops  one  day  and  down  in  the  abyss  the  next." 

''  It  is  true  !  "  cried  Novella.  ''  But  I  riot  on 
the  mountain  tops  when  I  am  there !  " 

"  I  have  still  busines  on  hand ;  I  must  go.  Think 
of  all  I  have  said,"  returned  Neida,  fluttering  off. 

Novella  threw  herself  back  in  a  chir. 

"  What  would  I  not  give,"  she  thought,  "  to  be 
as  beautiful,  as  charming,  as  Delicieuse.  Every- 
thing she  says  delights  everybody,  yet  she  talks 
only  little  nothings.  As  for  me,  nobody  understands 
me.  My  heart  is  as  warm  as  hers,  nay,  warmer ;  it 
is  a  furnace  in  full  glow ;  but  because  I  do  not 
carry  it  about  in  my  hands,  as  she  carries  her,  no- 
body believes  in  it.  I  am  not  happy  !  No,  I  am 
wretched  !  " 

At  this  moment  Delicieuse  was  putting  one  foot 
out  of  bed.  She  had  made  up,  in  a  long  morning 
nap,  all  the  sleep  she  had  lost  the  previous  night, 
and  looked  as  fresh  and  pretty  as  a  rose  just  opened. 
Peace  and  good-will  towards  everybody,  including 
herself,  filled  her  heart.  As  she  thrust  her  little 
foot  in  her  slipper,  she  perceived  some  foreign 
substance  there,  and  sprang  back  into  bed,  where 
she  sat,  half-frightened,  half  amused,  the  prettiest 
picture  imaginable. 


SIX  LITTLE  PRI^'CESSES.  33 

"  I  verily  believe  a  mouse  has  taken  up  its  abode 
in  my  slipper,"  thought  she. 

As  she  spoke,  Xeida  bounded  out  of  her  hiding- 
place  and  seated  herself  on  the  bed,  face  to  face 
with  the  young  princess. 

"  You  are  a  beautiful  creature  ! "  she  began. 
"  More  so  at  this  moment,  in  your  simple  night- 
dress, with  your  hair  floating  over  your  shoulders, 
than  you  were  last  evening,  when  arrayed  in  robes 
of  state." 

''  I  wish  I  could  return  the  compliment,"  said 
Delicieuse  good-humoredly. 

''  I  make  no  pretensions  to  beauty,"  repHed  Neida, 
with  a  fearful  roll  of  her  great  green  eyes.  "  I 
am,  therefore,  the  more  dazzled  by  yours.  But,  my 
poor  child,  beauty  is  an  evanescent  charm.  When 
old  age  and  disease  have  destroyed  yours,  all  your 
sisters  will  retain  a  power  to  please,  which  you 
will  desire  in  vain.  Even  now  you  see  what  crowds 
cluster  about  the  Princesses  Mosella  and  Papeta, 
and  what  homage  is  paid  by  men  of  genius  to  the 
gifts  of  Reima  and  Novella.  A  certain  class  of 
admirers  will  always  be  yours,  but  the  most  culti- 
vated minds  will  ever  prefer  the  society  of  your 
sisters." 

Delicieuse  replied  by  leaning  over  a  little,  and 
with  her  finger  and  thumb  she  sent  Neida  spin- 
ning through  the  air  at  a  rate  quite  fitted  to  turn 
her  brain,  if  she  had  any.  Then,  springing  out  of 
bed,  the  gay  young  princess  rang  a  silver  bell  to 
summon  her  attendants  to  assist  her  in  dressing. 
While  this  process  was  going  on  she  tried,  by  chat- 
ting half  to  herself,  half  to  them,  to  escape  the  un- 
pleasant fancies  Neida  had  awakened  in  her. 

W'hen  at  last  she  joined  her  sisters  she  was  as- 


34  SIX  LITTLE  PRINCESSES. 

tonished  that  not  one  of  them  came  to  meet  and 
caress  her  as  usual. 

"  Their  heads  were  all  turned  last  evening,  I 
suppose,"  she  said  to  herself.  "  Good-morning 
Moina  !  What  !  not  at  work  ?  It  is  not  possible 
that  my  dress  for  to-night  is  already  finished  ?  " 

"  I  am  not  the  family  seamstress,"  replied  Moina. 
"  Why  should  I  rise  early  to  prepare  your  dresses, 
while  you  lie  idling  in  bed  ?  Do  you  really  imagine, 
because  you  happen  to  be  prettier  than  I,  that  I  am 
to  spend  my  whole  time  in  serving  you  ?  " 

Delicieuse  made  no  answer,  but  her  eyes  filled 
with  tears.  Never  before  had  such  harsh  language 
fallen  upon  her  ears.  She  hurried  away,  hoping  to 
find  refuge  with  Reima. 

"  You  see  I  am  behind  you  all  'this  morning," 
she  said  approaching  her  sister.  "  Are  you  at 
work  on  a  new  picture  ?  Have  you  finished  my 
portrait  ?  " 

"  Your  portrait  ? "  cried  Reima  scornfully ; 
"  not  I  !  Why  should  I  finish  it,  pray  ?  Are  you 
not  content  with  seeing  everybody  at  your  feet, 
but  must  you  see  yourself  on  canvas  also  ?  " 

"  My  dear,  you  must  have  eaten  something  that 
disagreed  with  you  last  night,"  said  Delicieuse. 
"  Otherwise  I  do  not  see  what  makes  you  so  ill- 
humored." 

''  1  am  not  ill-humored,"  said  Reima.  "  I  am 
only  out  of  spirits.  Do  go  away,  child,  and  leave 
me   in   peace." 

"  I  am  going,  you  may  depend,"  returned  Deli- 
cieuse. "  For  my  part,  I  am  quite  willing  to  leave 
you  to  yourself." 

"  Delicieuse  is  getting  positively  disagreeable  !  " 
thought  Reima.  "  She  thinks  that  because  she 
is  so  handsome  she  can  talk  as  she  likes.     And^ 


SIX  LITTLE  PRI^X'ESSES.  35 

to  be  sure,  so  she  can.  Ah  !  I  wish  I  were  as 
beautiful  !  But  all  I  am  good  for  is  to  stand  here 
and  daub  !  " 

Delicieuse  passed  on,  ruffled  and  displeased. 
"  I  suppose  Reima  takes  airs  upon  herself  because 
so  much  was  said  of  her  genius  last  evening," 
thought  she.  *'  It  must  be  delightful  to  be  a  genius  ! 
As  to  beauty.  I  must  own  that  I  am  tired  already  of 
mine.  What  an  amount  of  nonsense  it  makes  peo- 
ple talk  !  " 

At  this  moment  she  espied  Mosella,  who  sat 
reading  by  herself,  and  Papeta,  who  picked  a  faded 
bouquet  to  pieces,  at  a  little  distance. 

"  Have  you  inseparables  quarreled  also  ? "  she 
cried. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  asked  Mosella.  "  Can- 
not one  take  up  a  book  without  being  taken  to 
task  ?  " 

"  And  is  picking  a  bouquet  to  pieces  worse  than 
lying  in  bed  all  the  morning  ?  "  demanded  Papeta. 

"  Everybody  seems  out  of  humor,''  said  Deli- 
cieuse. "  I  feel  low-spirited  myself.  If  I  could 
sing  and  play  as  you  two  can  I  would  soon  cheer 
myself  up.  Come,  do  play  a  little,  Mosella  !  And 
you,  Papeta,  pray  sing,  till  you  charm  us  all  into 
good  spirits  again." 

"  There's  no  use  in  playing.  Nobody  will  lis- 
ten," replied  ^losella. 

"  Xor  in  singing,  for  it  sets  everybody  to  talk- 
ing," said  Papeta.  "  Ah,  Delicieuse  !  you  lucky 
creature  !  Why  should  you  have  all  the  beauty  of 
the  family  ?  " 

"  And  why  should  the  rest  of  you  have  all  the 
talent  ? "  asked  Delicieuse,  half  crying.  ''  But 
where  is  Novella  ?" 

"  Novella,"  replied  Papeta,  "  is  meditating  suicide. 


3(j  SIX  LITTLE  PRINCESSES. 

She  has  lowered  like  a  thunder-cloud  all  the  morn- 
ing. I  saw  her  with  my  own  eyes  tear  up  all  her 
papers   and   throw   them   away." 

"  All  her  amusing  tales  and  lovely  poems  ?  "  cried 
Delicieuse.  "  Oh,  if  I  could  but  write  as  she  does  ! 
But  I  can  do  nothing.  I  cannot  cut  in  the  mag- 
ical way  Moina  does,  nor  paint  like  Reima,  nor  sing 
and  play  like  you  two  gifted  creatures.  All  I  am 
fit  for  is  to  be  dressed  like  a  doll,  and  to  hear  peo- 
ple say  silly  things  about  my  face  and  my  figure." 

So  saying,  Delicieuse,  hitherto  the  gayest,  glad- 
dest of  mortals,  began  to  cry  in  good  earnest. 

In  the  midst  of  this  scene  the  queen,  who  also 
had  slept  late,  came  to  rejoice  in  the  sight  of  her 
darling  children,  and  was  shocked  to  find  the  state 
they  were  in.  In  vain  she  coaxed,  scolded,  and  at 
last  shed  tears.  Not  one  would  confess  the  cause  of 
her  melancholy. 

In  her  despair  the  queen  sent  for  the  Countess 
Reynosa,  who  soon  made  her  appearance  with  her 
usual  nonchalant  air. 

*'  You  dear  creatures  !  "  she  cried,  on  seeing  the 
six  woeful  faces,  "each  of  you  shall  confess  to  me 
in  turn,  and  I  will  promise  to  put  you  out  of  misery 
before  this  day  closes.  Come,  Moina,  I  will  begin 
with  you." 

She  drew  the  reluctant  princess  away  to  the 
queen's  private  cabinet,  and  caressed  and  condoled 
with  her,  until  at  last  she  learned  all  about  the  visit 
of  Neida. 

"  Has  that  little  monster  really  made  you  a 
visit  ?  "  she  exclaimed.  "  You  should  know  her, 
then,  by  her  real  name,  and  never  again  permit  her 
so  much  as  to  whisper  a  word  in  your  ear.  Her 
name  is  Envy.'' 

Moina  shuddered. 


SIX  LITTLE  PRINCESSES.  37 

"  She  has  made  me  very  unhappy,"  said  she, 
"  and  made  me  lose  all  pleasure  in  the  only  gift  I 
really  possess.  And,  indeed,  why  should  I,  a  prin- 
cess royal,  sit  always  at  work  like  a  common  seam- 
stress ?  " 

"  Like  an  uncommon  seamstress,  you  mean," 
replied  the  countess.  ''  Indeed,  I  know  of  no  reason 
save  this :  People  who  have  gifts  always  exercise 
them,  as  babies  do  their  arms  and  legs.  They  find 
pleasure  in  this  exercise  themselves,  and  give  pleas- 
ure to  others  besides." 

'*  But  mv  sisters  are  all  admired  so  much  more 
than  I  !  "  ' 

"Yes,  they,  too,  have  their  gifts.  \^'hy  not? 
Why  should  nature  give  you  a  talent  and  with- 
hold her  gifts  from  them  ?  " 

'•  But  my  talent  is  so  small  when  compared  with 
theirs  !  " 

"'  Then,  because  it  is  small,  you  fancy  it  best  to 
let  it  lie  idle.  Then  how  will  vou  emplov  vour- 
self  ?  " 

'•  I  do  not  know,"  said  Moina  despondently. 
'*  I  cannot  draw,  I  have  no  ear  for  music ;  I  am  not 
fond  of  reading,  and,  if  I  were,  could  not  read  all 
the  time.  But  when  I  get  an  idea  of  a  new  dress 
in  my  head  the  scissors  seem  to  move  of  their  own 
accord,  and  I  am  quite  happy,  as  I  sit  at  my  work, 
both  at  my  success  and  at  the  pleasure  I  can  give 
others.  Ivly  sisters  cannot  bear  to  wear  anything 
that  is  not  of  my  workmanship." 

"  Then,  my  dear  Moina,  go  back  to  your  own 
little  corner.  Exercise  your  gift,  humble  though 
it  be.  The  time  may  come  when  you  will  see  that 
nature  has  dealt  as  kindly  with  you  as  with  your 
sisters." 


38  SIX  LITTLE  PRINCESSES. 

In  like  manner  the  countess  encouraged  and  set 
right  each  of  the  princesses. 

Moina  caught  up  the  robe  she  was  preparing  for 
DeHcieuse,  and  took  pleasure  in  completing  it. 
Mosella  and  Papeta  returned  to  their  music  with 
fresh  ardor ;  while  Reima  drew  forth  the  half- 
finished  portrait  of  DeHcieuse,  which  she  had  begun 
as  a  work  of  love,  and  put  to  it  some  finishing 
touches. 

Novella  seized  her  pen  as  a  lost  mariner  seizes 
the  compass  he  has  thought  gone  overboard  in  the 
storm.  All  her  papers  had  indeed  perished  in  the 
tempest,  but  her  brain  was  full  of  images  of  grace 
and  beauty,  and  her  imagination  did  not  care  a  whit 
that  its  sails  had  been  taken  in  during  stress  of 
weather. 

The  countess  went  from  one  to  another,  admir- 
ing their  work,  and  putting  in  the  right  word 
here  and  there. 

"  This  family  circle  is  nearly  perfect  ! "  she 
cried  at  last.  "  We  have  not  here  a  race  of  work- 
women, nor  half  a  dozen  musicians,  nor  a  set  of 
artists,  nor  a  row  of  authors,  nor  six  good-for-noth- 
ings like  DeHcieuse.  We  have  a  little  of  every  sort, 
and  if  I  can  catch  and  kill  the  hideous  creature  who 
disturbed  your  peace,  I  see  nothing  to  prevent  your 
complete  felicity." 

"  I  believe  she  is  already  dead,"  said  DeHcieuse. 
"  Here  she  lies,  shriveled  and  shrunken,  and  does 
not  move  a  limb." 

"  Give  me  the  corpse,  then,"  said  the  countess, 
laughing.     ''  She  shall  have  a  state  funeral." 


IV. 

STRENGTH    IX    UNION. 

From  this  time  the  princesses  led  a  happy  and 
harmonious  Hfe  together,  and  the  queen,  when 
weary  with  the  burden  of  royalty,  found  among 
them,  with  all  their  refreshing  variety  of  char- 
acter, a  solace  and  a  joy  that  made  her  Hfe  a 
continual  feast.  One  morning,  however,  the 
king,  when  he  set  forth  to  hunt,  entreated  the 
queen  to  accompany  him,  to  witness  some  rare  sport. 

''  I  am  ashamed  to  refuse  you,"  she  said,  ''  but 
my  heart  misgives  me.  I  have  a  presentiment  that 
some  misfortune  will  befall  our  children." 

"  One  should  put  no  confidence  in  presentiments," 
replied  the  king.  "  For  my  part  I  have  a  forebod- 
ing of  evil  as  awaiting  myself  !  I  own  it  is  weak 
to  yield  to  it,  yet  it  makes  me  shrink  from  going 
forth  to  the  hunt  without  you." 

These  words  decided  the  queen,  yet  she  took 
leave  of  her  daughters  with  a  tenderness  that 
bordered  on  sadness.  The  princesses,  on  their 
part,  responded  with  unusual  warmth  to  her 
caresses ;  never  had  she  seemed  to  them  so  dear. 
They  employed  themselves  in  her  absence  with 
little  devices  for  her  pleasure.  Moina  began  a 
bit  of  choice  embroidery  ;  Reima  designed  a  pic- 
ture for  her  private  cabinet;  2vlosella  and  Papeta 

39 


4:0  SIX  LITTLE  PRINCESSES. 

composed  music  for  a  song  of  welcome,  written  by 
Novella,  as  her  welcome  home;  Delicieuse  ran  to 
the  window  every  five  minutes  to  see  if  she  were 
coming.  But  night  fell,  and  the  gay  cavalcade  was 
neither  seen  nor  heard. 

The  princesses  assured  each  other  that  the  delay 
betokened  no  evil.  To  beguile  themselves  of  the 
time  they  worked  with  more  industry.  At  bed- 
time there  was  still  no  news  of  the  absent  party. 

"  What  can  it  mean  ?  "  they  whispered  to  each 
other,  while  Delicieuse  cried  herself  to  sleep. 

At  midnight  wheels  were  heard,  and  the  Countess 
Reynosa  appeared,  pale  and  tearful. 

"  My  children ! "  she  cried,  and  could  say  no 
more. 

They  clustered  about  her,  and  clung  to  her,  with- 
out daring  to  ask  a  question.  She  gathered  them  in 
her  arms,  spoke  a  few  incoherent  words,  and  then, 
pushing  them  away,  began  pacing  the  room  like  one 
beside  herself. 

Then  came  confused  sounds  from  without. 

"  They  are  bringing  them  home !  "  she  said  in  a 
whisper. 

One  cannot  dwell  on  such  scenes.  The  king  and 
the  queen  had  been  thrown  from  their  chariot.  Both 
were  dead. 

The  days  of  public  mourning  and  ceremony  were 
over.  Their  private  grief  the  young  princesses  con- 
cealed in  the  retirement  of  their  own  apartments. 
They  did  not  ask  themselves,  for  their  lives  had 
been  simple  and  unworldly,  who  should  reign  over 
the  desolate  kingdom.  But  others,  less  simple, 
more  worldly,  did  ask  the  question,  and  presently 
dissension  and  clamor  arose  and  filled  the  land. 
Some  of  the  people  looked  upon  Novella  as 
heiress  to  the  throne.     It  was  she  whom  the  king 


SIX  LITTLE  PRINCESSES.  41 

and  queen  had  first  adopted  as  their  child ;  she  ex- 
celled her  sisters  in  learning  if  not  in  talent ;  if  the 
blood  in  her  veins  was  not  royal  her  education  was. 
Others  contended  that  Delicieuse,  as  the  favorite  of 
the  queen  and  the  people,  was  best  fitted  to  ascend 
the  throne.  A  third  party  clung  to  the  aristocracy 
of  birth,  and  clamored  for  the  rights  of  the  young 
nephew  of  the  king. 

The  Countess  Reynosa  weighed  these  conflicting 
opinions,  and  her  clear  judgment  assured  her  that  the 
third  party  had  justice  on  its  side  and  would  finally 
prevail.  But  what  was  to  become  of  the  six  prin- 
cesses? Had  any  prov'sion  been  made  for  them? 
Alas !  none.  The  king  and  the  queen,  like  other 
mistaken  souls,  had  expected  to  live  forever.  It 
turned  out  that  they  were  not  princesses  after  all ; 
merely  six  nobodies.  The  worst  of  it  was  that 
not  one  of  them  seriously  lamented  this  circum- 
stance, ^loina  fancied  she  could  enjoy  her  scissors, 
her  thimble,  her  needle  quite  as  much  when  stripped 
of  her  title  as  she  had  done  with  it.  Reima  went 
on  painting  a  portrait  of  the  queen  from  memory, 
and  found  consolation  in  the  task.  ^losella  and 
Papeta  set  to  music  many  plaintive  little  songs, 
composed  by  Novella  after  the  first  days  of  speech- 
less agony  were  over,  and  their  plebeian  hands  and 
voices  made  as  sweet  melody  as  ever.  Novella  be- 
gan a  long  poem,  wherein  she  tried  to  prove  that  life 
is  a  dream ;  only,  being  a  genius,  she  did  it  in  an 
original  way.  Delicieuse  looked  charming  in  her 
simple  black  dress,  and  softened  and  sanctified  by 
sufifering,  was  more  attractive,  more  lovely  than 
ever. 

"  Aly  dear  children,"  said  the  Countess  Reynosa, 
"  I  foresaw  this  day  and  made  provision  for  it.  In 
the  first  place,  I  avoided  introducing  boys  into  the 


42  SIX  LITTLE  PRINCESSES. 

palace,  for  what  might  prove  only  temporary  gran- 
deur. Less  flexible,  more  ambitious  than  girls, 
reverses  would  have  been  a  far  greater  shock  to 
them  than  to  you.  In  the  second  place,  I  selected 
each  of  you  with  a  reasonable  prospect  that  you 
would  inherit  the  gifts  and  graces  of  the  parents 
who  gave  you  birth.  In  this  I  hope  I  have  not  been 
disappointed.  Last  of  all,  I  ever  urged  the  queen 
to  educate  you,  as  far  as  possible,  to  find  happiness 
in  each  other,  and  in  the  exercise  of  the  gifts  with 
which  you  were  endowed  by  nature.  You  are, 
therefore,  almost  entirely  independent  of  this  people, 
by  whom  the  designs  of  the  king  and  queen  for  you 
are  set  at  naught." 

''  All  I  want,"  said  Novella,  ''  is  some  little  corner 
where  I  can  read  and  write,  and  have  no  trouble 
about  dress,  or  talk  about  etiquette." 

*'  As  for  me,  I  shall  travel  in  foreign  lands,"  said 
Reima,  "  study  the  old  masters,  and  perfect  myself 
in  my  art.  Royalty  under  such  circumstances 
would  only  be  a  burden.  I  shall  then  settle  down 
somewhere  and  spend  my  life  in  painting." 

"  And  we  shall  devote  ourselves  to  music,"  said 
Mosella  and  Papeta,  "  and  forget  the  court  and  all 
its  tiresome  observances." 

"  Meanwhile  I  will  see  that  you  are  all  clothed 
neatly,"  said  Moina. 

"  That  is  the  first  sensible  speech  I  have  heard 
yet,"  said  the  countess.  "  Pray,  my  dear  Novella, 
while  you  sit  reading  and  writing  who  is  to  shelter 
and  who  to  feed  you?  And  you,  Reima,  how  will 
you  travel  ?     On  foot  ?  " 

The  twain  looked  a  little  foolish,  but  not  half  so 
anxious  as  penniless  maidens  ought  to  have  looked. 

"  Well,  well,  you  are  not  quite  destitute,"  con- 
tinued the  countess.      "  You  have  the  gifts  pre- 


SIX  LITTLE  PRINCESSES.  43 

sented  you  at  your  christening  and  other  personal 
property.  You  can,  with  their  help,  secure  a  home, 
where  you  can  all  live  together,  or  you  can  separate, 
and  each  face  the  world  for  herself." 

''  Oh,  let  us  all  keep  together,"  said  Delicieuse, 
"  and  live  exactly  as  we  have  done." 

''  And  have  you  a  palace  for  this  purpose,  my 
child?" 

It  was  now  the  turn  of  Delicieuse  to  look  foolish. 

"  You  shall  live  with  me,  darling,"  said  Reima, 
"and  so  shall  Moina.  All  the  others  can  take  care 
of  themselves,  or  join  us,  as  they  like." 

"  But  we  shall  want  Moina  and  Delicieuse  to  live 
with  us,"  cried  the  two  musicians. 

"  That  would  leave  me  quite  alone,"  said  Novella, 
"  and  that  I  could  not  think  of.  I  do  not  know 
how  to  manage  a  needle  nor  what  to  wear.  And  in 
my  hours  of  weariness  and  sadness  no  one  can  cheer 
and  arouse  me  like  Delicieuse." 

Thus  there  was  the  same  strife  for  the  possession 
of  the  useless  as  of  the  useful  sister. 

"  I  see  how  it  is,"  said  Reynosa.  ''  You  must 
live  together.  Each  feels  herself  incomplete  with- 
out the  others.  Novella  needs  somebody  to  take 
care  of  her  and  somebody  to  love.  In  return  she 
will  give  love  and  endless  entertainment.  Reima, 
too,  needs  looking  after,  and  someone  who  will 
watch  with  a  friendly  eye  the  growth  of  her  paint- 
ings. Our  two  musicians  must  not  become  one- 
sided by  thinking  only  of  melody  and  of  song. 
They  must  enjoy  being  clothed  by  ^loina's  kind 
hands,  listening  to  Novella's  poems,  and  discussing 
Reima's  works.  And  you  must  all  train  your  ears 
to  appreciate  the  talents  of  these  two  marvelous 
creatures  who  sing  and  play  with  such  rare,  such  ex- 
quisite harmony." 


4A  SIX  LITTLE  PRINCESSES. 

"  And  what  shall  I  do?  "  cried  Delicieuse. 

"  You  shall  do  a  little  of  everything,  dear  child. 
You  shall  help  Moina  to  guide  the  house  and  Reima 
to  mix  the  colors.  You  shall  take  care  that  the 
piano  is  never  out  of  tune,  or  Novella  at  a  loss  for 
pens  and  paper.  In  a  word,  you  si  ill  be  what  you 
have  always  been,  always  ready  with  the  oil  of 
gladness,  wherever  you  see  friction,  the  sweetest, 
the  most  lovable  creature  in  the  world." 

Delicieuse  smiled,  and  ran  to  embrace  all  her  sis- 
ters, hardly  knowing  which  she  loved  best. 

It  was  not  long  before  these  royal  maidens,  royal 
only  in  their  virtues  and  their  talents,  found  them- 
selves in  a  home  in  a  vine-clad  land,  where  each 
could  live  as  nature  had  designed  she  should  live. 

Moina,  whose  practical  skill  was  not  confined  to 
her  needle,  kept  the  house  with  such  exquisite  care 
and  neatness  that  her  sisters  preferred  it  to  a  palace. 
She  found  happiness  in  forgetting  herself,  in  her 
pride  in  them,  and  in  the  freedom  from  petty  cares 
from  which  she  shielded  them.  Her  calm,  serene 
character  was  a  continual  repose  to  the  varying 
moods  of  Reima  and  Novella ;  a  balance-wheel  to 
works  that,  running  fast,  often  ran  irregularly. 
Reima  studied  the  old  masters  with  no  need  for  fur- 
ther travel,  for  her  home  lay  among  their  works. 

Mosella  and  Papeta  composed  music,  made  Deli- 
cieuse listen  to  and  admire  it  when  other  hearers 
were  wanting,  and  were  satisfied  with  her  criti- 
cisms. 

Novella  wrote  books,  and  had  her  frenzies.  She 
had  her  gentle  and  her  gay  moods,  also,  and  made 
laughter  ring  through  the  house  at  her  will.  Not 
one  of  these  four  was  conscious  of  her  powers  or 
asked  for  fame.  Nor  did  their  aristocratic  breed- 
ing make  them  ashamed  to  work  for  their  bread. 


SIX  LITTLE  PRINCESSES.  45 

They  even  fancied  that  bread  thus  won  needed  less 
butter  to  help  it  down  than  that  of  charity. 

As  to  DeHcieuse,  she  was  the  bright,  the  golden 
link  that  bound  the  household  together  in  peace  and 
harmony.  Her  smiles,  her  caresses,  the  love  that 
flowed  forth  from  her  as  from  a  living  fountain, 
made  their  home  glad  with  perpetual  sunshine. 
Thank  God  for  the  gifts  of  genius  He  has  scat- 
tered abroad  with  a  bountiful  hand ;  but  thank  Him 
also  that,  without  such  gifts,  one  may  become  a  joy 
and  a  benediction ! 


LITTLE  ELLA  AND  THE  FIRE-KING. 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  little  girl  named 
Ella.  She  was  an  only  child,  and  lived  with  her 
widowed  mother,  who,  having  no  one  else  to  love 
in  all  the  world,  lavished  the  fondest  affection  on 
her  darling ;  and,  to  tell  the  truth,  spoiled  her  sadly. 

Ella  was  very  beautiful ;  she  had  large  dark  eyes, 
and  golden  curls  that  hung  gracefully  over  her 
white  dimpled  shoulders,  and  her  cheeks  and  lips 
were  like  rosebuds  to  look  at ;  but  she  had  been  so 
often  told  of  her  beauty,  that  I  am  sorry  to  say  she 
had  become  extremely  vain,  and  liked  nothing  so 
much  as  to  be  well  dressed,  and  to  hear  people  ex- 
claim, as  she  walked  along  the  streets,  "What  a 
lovely  little  lady !  "  Vanity  was  not  Ella's  only 
fault;  she  was  also  far  from  industrious,  and  she 
would  let  her  mother  wear  her  eyes  out  in  making 
the  fine  clothes  she  was  always  asking  for,  while  she 
sat  idly  on  her  stool  in  the  warm  chimney  corner, 
and  looked  into  the  bright  fire,  till  she  fancied  she 
could  see  hills  and  valleys,  trees  and  houses,  and 
even  little  men  and  women,  in  the  glowing  embers. 

One  winter's  afternoon  when  the  snow  was  on 
the  ground,  Ella's  mother  said  to  her :  "  It  will 
soon  be  Christmas  time,  and  I  wish  my  darling  to 
choose  what  she  would  like  best  for  a  New  Year's, 
gift."  "  Oh,"  cried  the  little  girl,  "  I  want  a  new 
hat,  with  cherry-colored  ribbons,  and  a  blue  velvet 

46 


LITTLE  ELLA  AND  THE  FIRE-KING.  4t 

pelisse,  trimmed  with  ermine."  "  Nay,"  said  her 
mother,  ''  I  will  buy  yoii  one  of  these  things,  my 
child,  but  I  cannot  afford  to  give  you  both ;  for  you 
know,  dear  Ella,  I  am  far  from  rich."  "  Never 
mind,"  said  Ella  impatiently ;  "  a  new  hat  and  a  new 
pelisse  I  must  and  zi'ill  have,  and  I  am  sure  that  I 
shall  neither  eat,  sleep,  nor  play  for  thinking  of 
them ;  so  do  go  out  this  very  afternoon,  there's  a 
dear,  kind  mother,  and  buy  them  for  me  See,  it 
has  almost  left  off  snowing,  and  I  will  keep  a  good 
fire  to  warm  you  when  you  come  home,  and  make 
some  of  the  nice  tea  and  toast  of  which  you  are  so 
fond."  And  the  little  puss  began  to  coax  her 
mother,  throwing  her  white  arms  around  her  neck 
and  kissing  her,  till  she  could  no  longer  resist  her 
winning  ways.  So,  fondly  patting  her  daughter's 
rosy  cheek,  she  put  on  her  bonnet  and  cloak,  and 
trudged  out  into  the  winter  cold  to  get  the  finery 
which  Ella  wished  for. 

Now  Ella  had  not  a  bad  heart;  she  really  loved 
her  mother  dearly,  but  much  indulgence  had  made 
her  thoughtless  and  selfish.  She  looked  out  of  the 
window  and  nodded  a  smiling  good-by  to  her  kind 
parent,  and  then  ran  shivering  back  to  the  warm 
chimney  corner.  ''  Ah !  how  cold  and  dreary  it 
looks  outside,"  said  she ;  "  for  my  part,  I  shall 
armise  myself  with  looking  at  this  nice,  clear  fire 
till  mamma  comes  back ;"  and  quite  forgetting  the 
tea  and  toast  she  had  promised  to  get  ready,  she 
drew  her  stool  to  the  hearth  and  sat  looking  at  the 
flames  which  leaped  and  sparkkd  so  merrily,  and 
into  the  very  depths  of  the  glowing  fire,  where  the 
trees,  the  gardens,  and  the  palaces  seemed  more 
wonderful  and  beautiful  than  ever  to  her  earnest 
gaze.  The  hail  pattered  against  the  window  panes, 
and  the  wind  whistled  drearily  outside,  but  the  fire 


48  LITTLE  ELLA  AND  THE  FIRE-KING. 

trees  had  not  lost  their  foHage,  and  all  appeared 
summer  in  that  cheerful  spot.  "  I  wish,  I  wish," 
sighed  the  wayward  Ella,  '*  that  I  could  always 
live  in  the  fire,  it  is  so  cold  and  miserable  here ;  and 
I  should  like  of  all  things  to  wander  in  that  lovely 
garden  which  I  see  yonder,  and  to  dwell  in  that  fine 
palace  with  the  tiny  door  of  glittering  gold  which 
stands  in  the  midst  of  it." 

Scarcely  had  the  words  passed  her  lips  when 
the  golden  door  of  the  palace  flew  open,  and,  breath- 
less with  astonishment,  Ella  beheld  a  noble  train 
of  lords  and  ladies  no  higher  than  her  little  finger, 
who,  bowing  to  her  as  they  passed  from  the  palace 
gate,  formed  a  brilliant  line  on  each  side  of  the  ave- 
nue which  led  to  this  enchanted  castle.  Next  came 
a  troop  of  young  maidens,  bearing  on  their  heads 
small  baskets  of  filigree  coal  containing  black  dia- 
monds of  rare  value.  Then  followed  grooms  in  wait- 
ing, equerries,  and  attendants  of  every  description 
in  gorgeous  liveries,  and  these  were  succeeded  by 
twelve  of  the  most  exquisite  pages  that  can  be  imag- 
ined, who  advanced,  bowing  low  and  waving  their 
plumed  and  jeweled  caps  to  the  ground.  Lastly,  a 
flourish  of  drums  and  trumpets  announced  the  ap- 
proach of  royalty,  and  what  was  Ella's  joy  and  sur- 
prise when  there  rode  forth  from  the  palace  gates 
a  superb  young  prince,  far  handsomer  than  any  she 
had  ever  thought  or  dreamed  of,  mounted  on  a 
prancing  fiery  steed,  which  he  managed  with  won- 
derful grace  and  skill.  When  he  had  reached  the 
center  of  the  avenue  he  dismounted,  and,  throwing 
the  reins  of  his  charger  to  an  attendant,  walked 
gracefully  forward  to  the  front  of  the  grate  and 
gazed  at  the  blushing  Ella — majesty  and  love  speak- 
ing in  every  glance.  The  Fire-King  was  magnifi- 
cently dressed  in  royal  robes  of  blue  flame  bordered 


LITTLE  ELLA  AND  THE  FIRE-KING.  49 

with  golden  sparks,  and  wore  on  his  head  a  crown 
of  brilliants.  His  appearance  was  altogether  most 
dazzling ;  for  though  his  face  might  be  considered  a 
trifle  too  red,  yet  this  was  forgotten  in  the  brightness 
of  his  eves. 

''  Fairest  of   mortals,"   said  he  as   he  knelt  be- 
fore Ella,  "  I  am  the  King  of  the  Salamanders,  and 
I  have  come  to  woo  you  for  my  queen.     Often  have 
I  watched  vou  in  the  evening  time  as  you  looked 
into  mv  dominions  with  longing  eyes,  sighing  to  live 
forever  there.      And   who  could   gaze   upon  your 
beauty  and  not  love  you?      Yes,  Ella,  the  wish  of 
your  heart  is  granted.      I  offer  you  my  hand  and 
royal  crown.      Come,  be  my  bride  this  day,   and 
dwell  with  me  forever  in  my  kingdom  of  flame." 
Now,  Ella  was  not  in  the  least  frightened  by  the 
king's  address,  for  she  had  heard  his  voice  many 
times  before,  but  had  then  mistaken  it  for  the  pop- 
ping of  the  coals,  to  which,  it  must  be  owned,  it 
bore  no  small  resemblance;  but  though  her  heart 
leaped  with  delight  at  the  thought  of  being  married 
to  the  handsome'king,and  wearing  a  diamond  crown, 
yet  she  almost  feared  that  she  might  be  burned  if 
she  ventured  into  the  fire,  and  even  if  she  escaped 
that  danger,  her  size  was  another  obstacle  to  her 
wishes;  for  she  saw  plainly  enough  that  it  would 
be  quite   impossible   for  her  even   so  much   as   to 
enter  the  kingdom,  much  more  to  dwell  in  a  palace 
a  hundred  times  smaller  than  herself.     Ready  to  cry 
with  vexation  and  disappointment,   she  was  about 
to  refuse  the  offer  of  the  Salamander,  when  she  felt 
herself  to  be  growing  smaller  every  instant,   and 
soon  she  became  even  more  diminutive  than  the  king 
himself,  while  the  heat  of  the  fire,  which  before  had 
sadlv   scorched   her    face,    now   seemed   to   her   no 
greater  than  the  pleasant  warmth  of  a  summer's  day. 


50  LITTLE  ELLA  AND  THE  FIRE-KING. 

Yet,  as  she  stood  on  the  topmost  bar  of  the  grate, 
and  hfted  her  dainty  httle  foot,  clad  in  the  tiniest 
and  most  exquisite  of  red  sUppers,  to  spring  into 
fireland,  she  paused  once  more;  for  the  recollection 
of  her  doting  mother,  who  had  ventured  out  on  this 
dreary  day,  regardless  of  wind  and  storm,  merely 
to  gratify  a  selfish  whim  of  hers,  shot  a  pang  of 
remorse  through  her  heart,  and  a  tear  gathered  in 
her  eye  and  fell  on  the  prince's  head  as  he  stood 
below  awaiting  her  with  impatience.  It  must  be 
confessed  he  looked  rather  black  at  this,  for  water 
did  not  at  all  agree  with  his  constitution ;  and  Ella's 
tear,  though  a  very  small  one,  threatened  to  put  him 
out  for  the  day.  ''  Do  not  weep,  my  love,"  said  he 
in  a  hissing  voice,  w^hich  he  tried  to  render  as  agree- 
able as  possible ;  ''  I  assure  you  that  your  mother 
will  not  miss  you  so  much  as  you  imagine.  She  is 
going  to  marry  a  new  husband,  and  then  she  will 
have  other  children  and  love  them  better  than  you. 
Besides  which,  she  shall  not  think  you  ungrateful,  for 
I  will  take  care  to  scatter  some  ashes  on  the  hearth 
rug,  which  will  cause  her  to  think  that  you  have 
ventured  too  near  the  fire,  and  so  have  been  burned 
to  death."  Now,  though  Ella  could  not  in  her 
heart  believe  all  this,  or  think  that  her  poor  mother 
would  ever  again  love  any  other  creature  in  the 
world,  yet  vanity  and  curiosity  had  got  possession 
of  her  foolish  little  head,  and  hesitating  no  longer, 
she  sprang  into  the  open  arms  of  her  fiery  lover, 
who  clasped  her  in  a  warm  embrace,  and  showered 
kisses  on  her  ruby  lips. 

The  lords  and  ladies  now  approached,  and  kneel- 
ing at  Ella's  feet,  saluted  her  as  their  queen ;  and 
next  the  young  maidens  advanced  with  their  basket 
of  jewels,  the  king's  wedding  gift  to  his  fair  young 
bride.     Twelve  of  the  noblest  ladies  of  the  court. 


LITTLE  ELLA  AND  THE  FIRE-iQNG.  5I 

who  were  appointed  to  be  maids  of  honor,  respect- 
fully begged  Ella  to  tell  them  how  they  mightserve 
her  majesty.  ''  Attend  your  royal  mistress  to  her 
robing  room,"  said  the  king,  and  then  we  must  to 
horse,  for  we  have  far  to  travel  this  night  before  we 
can  reach  our  palace  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth.  You 
must  know,  my  sweet  queen,"  continued  he,  "  that 
this  fireplace  of  your  mother's  is  only  one  of  my 
many  country  houses,  and  my  state  residence  is  far 
more  vast  and  magnificent ;  thither  shall  we  go  this 
night,  that  our  wedding-feast  may  be  all  the 
grander.  The  banquet  w^aits  our  coming,  so  haste, 
I  pray  you,  love,  and  don  your  wedding  dress." 
"  Can  we  not  stay  in  this  palace  to-night  ?  "  said 
Ella,  who  did  not  altogether  relish  going  so  far  from 
her  old  home.  '*  Xo,  no,  silly  one,"  said  the  king. 
*'  Pray,  is  not  the  fire  raked  out  every  night?  and 
then  what  would  become  of  us?  A  pretty  mess 
you  would  make  of  our  wedding-feast.  But  do  not 
look  so  sad,  dear  love ;  you  shall  often  return  to  this 
place  if  it  pleases  you ;  for  it  is  only  at  night  that 
we  are  forced  to  leave  it  for  our  palace  in  the  earth." 
Ella  brightened  up  at  this,  and  gayly  entered  the 
palace  she  had  so  much  longed  to  live  in.  Her 
maids  of  honor  followed,  and  conducted  her  to  her 
apartments,  where  they  decked  her  as  became  a 
royal  bride  in  rich  robes  of  white  flame.  A  circlet 
of  sparks  surrounded  her  golden  curls,  and  over  her 
head  she  wore  a  long  veil  of  exquisitely  transparent 
smoke.  Thus  attired,  she  looked  more  beautiful 
than  the  morning  star,  and  could  scarcely  tear  her- 
self away  from  the  mirror  which  reflected  her 
charms,  though  the  king  was  impatiently  calling  for 
her,  and  her  horse  stood  saddled  at  the  castle  gate. 
At  last  she  was  ready,  and,  joining  the  impatient 
bridegroom,  mounted  her  steed,  and  the  whole  train 


52  LITTLE  ELLA  AND  THE  FIRE-KING. 

departed  with   royal  pomp — Ella  and  the  king  at 
the  head,  drums  beating  and  trumpets  sounding. 

''  Are  you  happy  and  content,  my  Ella  ?  "  said 
the  handsome  king,  fixing  his  piercing  eyes  ten- 
derly on  her  blushing  face  as  they  rode  away. 
"  That  indeed  I  am,  sweet  prince,"  returned  Ella ; 
but  she  was  not  really  so ;  her  heart  felt  heavy  amid 
all  this  splendor.  She  tried  to  think  it  was  only  the 
fear  of  spoiling  her  complexion  which  troubled  her ; 
but  conscience  whispered  that  an  ungrateful  child 
could  never  hope  to  be  happy  again.  After  riding 
a  long  way  they  arrived  at  the  king's  palace  in  the 
depths  of  the  earth.  The  magnificence  of  this  sub- 
terranean dwelling  quite  overpowered  the  youthful 
queen  with  awe,  as  she  began  to  realize  the  splendid 
extent  of  her  new  dominions,  and  she  ceased  to  won- 
der at  the  dreadful  earthquakes  of  which  she  had 
sometimes  read,  when  she  saw  the  flames  that  raged 
in  the  earth's  center  beneath  the  fields,  the  rocks, 
and  the  houses,  which  appeared  so  safe  to  mortal 
eyes.  While  these  thoughts  were  passing  through 
her  mind,  an  attendant  bounced  out  suddenly  before 
the  king  and  said :  "  Supper  is  served,  your  gra- 
cious majesty."  ''  And  you  too  shall  be  served  for 
your  insolence,  sirrah,"  said  his  gracious  majesty; 
who,  without  more  ado,  put  an  untimely  end  to  the 
forward  young  spark  with  a  single  blow.  Ella  was 
not  a  little  frightened  by  this  very  unpleasant  in- 
terruption to  the  wedding  gayeties,  but  the  cour- 
tiers took  no  notice  whatever  of  their  companion's 
fate,  and  did  not  seem  in  the  least  astonished ;  for 
to  let  you  into  a  secret,  if  everything  was  hot  in 
fireland,  the  king's  temper  was  about  the  hottest 
thing  of  all.  The  banquet  was  served  in  right 
royal  style  with  every  dainty  that  could  tempt  a 
Salamander's  palate.-     But  Ella  was  not  quite  a 


LITTLE  ELLA  AND  THE  FIRE-KING.  53 

Salamander  yet,  and  she  certainly  did  not  find  the 
dishes  of  which  the  king  pressed  her  to  eat  half  so 
delicious  as  the  plum  pudding-  and  mince  pies  she 
used  to  have  at  home.  The  king  noticed  that  she 
did  not  eat  with  a  good  appetite,  and  as  nothing 
could  be  too  hot  to  please  him,  he  took  it  into  his 
head  that  Ella  did  not  relish  her  supper  because  it 
was  cold,  and  he  flew  into  a  terrible  passion  in  con- 
sequence ;  and  though  Ella,  trembling  from  head  to 
foot  at  his  grim  looks,  begged  him  not  to  disturb 
himself  on  her  account,  and  tried  her  utmost  to  swal- 
low the  scalding  food  as  if  she  liked  it,  a  dozen  or 
so  of  courtiers  were  blown  out  before  the  dreadful 
supper  came  to  an  end.  But  after  this  followed  fire- 
works and  diversions  in  honor  of  the  wedding,  and 
Ella  was  so  delighted  with  the  wonderful  sight  that 
the  king  almost  forgot  his  ill-temper  when  he  saw 
her  sweet  face  dimpled  with  such  rosy  smiles,  and 
the  night  was  far  spent  in  these  amusements,  when 
Ella  was  conducted  by  her  maids  of  honor  to  her 
splendid  sleeping  room  in  the  glittering  palace ; 
so  that  she  laid  her  head  on  her  crimson  and  gold 
pillow,  feeling  that  after  all  it  was  a  very  grand 
thing  to  be  a  queen  and  a  bride,  even  though  her 
lover  might  not  be  quite  such  a  charming  prince  as 
he  had  appeared  at  first. 

In  the  morning  the  king  told  Ella  that  he  had 
not  forgotten  hie  promise  of  allowing  her  to  spend 
part  of  her  honeymoon  in  her  mother's  fireplace,  and 
she  gladly  accepted  his  offer  of  going  thither  at 
once.  The  horses  therefore  were  brought  out,  and 
away  they  rode,  to  the  sound  of  trumpet  and  horn, 
along  the  road  of  flint,  and  through  the  iron  gates 
which  opened  into  the  grate,  till  at  last  they  drew 
rein  before  the  shining  gold  gates  of  the  Sala- 
mander's palace,  which  was  gayly  decked  with  ban- 


54:  LITTLE  ELLA  AND  THE  FIRE- KING. 

ners  and  wreaths  of  flame  to  welcome  the  coming  of 
the  royal  bride. 

Now  the  king,  who  was  a  very  vain  prince,  was 
in  a  great  hurry  to  lead  Ella  into  the  palace  so  that 
he  might  show  her  all  his  treasures,  and  make  her 
feel  what  a  grand  king  she  had  married,  but  she, 
having  her  own  reasons  for  being  left  by  herself  for 
a  while,  tried  all  sorts  of  excuses  to  remain  behind. 
''  It  is  very  pleasant  out  here,"  said  she,  ''  and  I 
should  like  to  sit  and  watch  the  smoke  curling  up 
the  chimney,  so  that  I  may  know  which  way  the 
wind  blows."  ''  The  wind  is  nothing  to  you  or  me," 
returned  the  king,  "  and  it  is  not  proper  for  my  bride 
to  remain  by  herself,  so  I  will  not  allow  it."  "  But 
I  will  stay  by  myself  as  long  as  I  choose,  too,"  said 
the  queen,  her  eyes  beginning  to  sparkle,  for  she 
was  not  accustomed  to  contradiction ;  "  do  you 
imagine  I  am  always  going  to  have  either  you  or  a 
parcel  of  black,  sooty  maids  of  honor  forever  at  my 
heels  ?  "  ''  No  more  sooty  than  you  are  yourself," 
said  the  king  in  a  pet.  Saying  this,  he  sent  a  large 
coal  flying  in  the  queen's  face,  which  fairly  knocked 
her  down ;  and  she  who  had  never  received  so  much 
as  a  harsh  word  in  her  life,  lay  upon  the  ground 
sobbing  with  grief  and  passion.  The  king,  how- 
ever, was  only  a  young  husband  and  a  lover  still ; 
therefore  when  he  saw  how  much  his  fair  ygung 
wife  took  his  unkindness  to  heart,  he  felt  ashamed 
of  his  violence,  and,  raising  her  tenderly  from  the 
ground,  begged  her  pardon  humbly  enough,  and 
asked  what  he  could  do  to  make  her  amends. 
"  Leave  me  by  myself,"  was  all  that  Ella  would 
answer,  and  deeming  it  better  to  feign  obedience, 
the  king  at  last  entered  the  palace  with  his  train  of 
nobles ;  but  he  made  up  his  mind  to  watch  well 


LITTLE  ELLA  AND  THE  FIRE-KING.  55 

from  some  sly  corner  all  that  went  on  outside,  for 
he  felt  quite  certain  that  mischief  was  brewing. 

As  soon  as  Ella  found  herself  alone  she  ran  as 
fast  as  she  could  to  the  front  of  the  grate,  and 
gazed  with  a  beating  heart  into  the  dear  old  room 
which  had  once  been  her  home ;  but  what  was  her 
grief  and  horror  at  the  sight  which  there  met  her 
eyes !  A  heap  of  ashes  was  on  the  hearth  rug, 
amid  which  Ella  could  see  scorched  and  blackened 
fragments  of  the  dress  she  had  worn  the  night  be- 
fore, and  near  it  lay  her  mother,  cold,  pale,  and 
senseless.  Her  soft  brown  hair  had  in  a  single 
night  changed  to  silvery  gray,  her  eyes  were  closed, 
and  it  was  only  by  a  faint  shudder  which  now  and 
then  passed  over  her  frame  that  Ella  could  tell  she 
was  yet  alive.  An  old  servant,  who  had  once  been 
Ella's  nurse,  knelt  near  her  mistress,  and  chafed  her 
cold  hands  while  tears  streamed  down  her  cheeks, 
and  on  the  ground  near  them  lay  the  beautiful  hat 
with  cherry-colored  ribbons,  and  the  blue  velvet 
pelisse,  which  had  been  the  poor  woman's  last  er- 
rand of  love  for  her  cruel  little  daughter. 

Full  of  grief  and  repentance  at  this  sad  sight 
Ella  tried  with  all  her  might  to  jump  into  the  room 
and  run  to  her  dear  mamma's  assistance ;  but  the 
king,  who,  as  I  told  you,  was  watching  her  from 
the  castle  with  all  his  eyes,  sprang  quickly  forward 
and  caught  her  in  his  arms.  "  Your  folly  had  nearly 
cost  you  your  life,"  said  he  angrily.  "  Remember, 
ungrateful  Ella,  that  you  are  now  a  Salamander  and 
my  queen,  and  that  you  can  no  longer  exist  out  of 
the  fire."  With  many  a  sigh  Ella  was  forced  to 
hide  her  misery  from  her  husband,  whom  she  now 
began  to  fear  even  more  than  she  had  before  ad- 
mired ;  and  as  he  was  unwilling  to  trust  her  anv 
longer  so  near  her  old  home,  he  ordered  the  horses 


56  LITTLE  ELLA  AND  THE  FIRE-KING. 

to  be  got  ready  with  all  dispatch,  and  rode  with  her 
at  once  to  his  palace  in  the  earth's  center.  That 
beautiful  palace  seemed  to  Ella  nothing  better  than 
a  prison,  now  that  she  could  never  hope  to  see  her 
dear  mamma  again ;  and  indeed  from  that  time  for- 
ward there  was  no  more  happiness  for  the  con- 
science-stricken Fire-Queen.  No  one  could  live  in 
so  hot  a  country  without  having  a  proportionably 
warm  temper;  and  the  king  began  to  get  weary  of 
Ella  and  her  fretfulness,  especially  as  her  beauty 
changed  visibly  and  daily.  Her  pretty  rosy  face 
grew  quite  scorched  and  heated-looking,  and  her 
once  glossy  and  golden  curls  became  rough  and  friz- 
zled in  this  trying  climate.  After  a  time  the  king 
used  to  pretend  that  he  had  a  great  many  state  mat- 
ters to  regulate  in  a  large  mountain  called  Vesuvius, 
where  he  had  a  fine  palace,  and  was  always  going 
off  on  long  journeys  by  himself  to  Italy,  where  this 
mountain  stood.  Ella  did  not  believe  a  word  of  his 
excuses,  and  their  quarrels  grew  to  be  the  scandal  of 
the  court  and  the  talk  of  all  the  Salamanders.  When- 
ever the  king  proposed  going  to  Vesuvius  the  cour- 
tiers were  fain  to  hide  themselves,  for  neither  king 
nor  queen  were  very  particular  who  came  in  for  a 
share  of  their  blows  when  they  had  one  of  their 
angry  quarrels  with  each  other.  Now,  the  truth  of 
the  matter  was,  as  Ella  imagined,  that  the  king  was 
as  much  in  love  with  a  beautiful  Italian  princess 
as  he  had  once  been  with  herself.  He  would  not 
have  continued  to  care  for  her  even  if  she  had  smiled 
as  sweetly,  and  tried  to  please  him  as  much  as  ever ; 
but  her  wicked  passions  made  him  hate  her,  so  that 
he  longed  to  be  rid  of  her,  and  contradicted  her  in 
everything  she  wished  for. 

You  may  be  sure  that  Ella  desired  more  and  more 
to  revisit  her  home  and  her  mother,  but  for  a  long 


LITTLE  ELLA  AND  THE  FIRE-KING.  57 

time  she  sought  in  vain  for  an  opportunity :  the  king 
having  given  strict  orders  that  when  he  was  away 
she  should  on  no  account  be  allowed  to  leave  the 
palace.  On  one  occasion,  however,  he  was  absent 
for  so  many  weeks  that  all  the  Salamanders  began 
to  hope  he  was  dead.  Xow  Ella  had  been  so  fortu- 
nate as  to  find  the  large  golden  key  which  opened 
his  treasure  chests,  and  which  he  had  forgotten  to 
take  with  him  on  his  last  journey.  She  begged 
therefore  very  hard  to  be  allowed  to  leave  the  palace, 
and  told  the  courtiers  that  they  might  take  as  much 
treasure  as  they  chose,  if  they  would  only  permit 
her  to  escape.  When  they  saw  the  shining  heaps  of 
gold  and  silver  they  thought  of  nothing  but  filling 
their  pockets  and  quarreling  for  the  largest  share. 
So  Ella  ran  off  unperceived,  and  saddling  her  horse 
with  her  own  hands,  leaped  joyfully  on  his  back, 
and  rode  as  fast  as  she  could  gallop  till  she  once 
more  found  herself  in  the  fireplace  of  her  mother's 
house. 

When  she  peeped  into  the  well-known  room  from 
between  the  bars  she  beheld  her  mother,  old,  worn, 
and  gray,  sitting  mournfully  by  the  fireside,  while 
many  a  tear  ran  down  her  furrowed  cheeks.  Ella 
could  see  her  look  sorrowfully  at  her  own  little 
empty  stool  which  stood  in  its  old  warm  corner  by 
the  chimney  nook,  and  she  could  not  doubt  that  her 
poor  mamma  was  reproaching  herself  with  care- 
lessness in  leaving  her  alone  on  that  sad  day,  when, 
she  imagined,  her  little  Ella  had  been  burned  to 
death.  In  vain  did  the  repentant  queen  call  to  her 
mamma,  and  try  everything  she  could  think  of  to 
make  herself  heard.  Her  voice  was  now  the  voice 
of  a  Salamander,  which,  as  I  told  you  before,  can 
scarcely  be  distinguished  by  mortal  ears  from  the 
crackling  flames  of  a  cheerful  fire,  so  that  the  poor 


58  LITTLE  ELLA  AND  THE  FIRE-KING. 

mother  could  not  be  comforted  by  the  consoling 
words  which  her  unhappy  daughter  strove  in  vain 
to  render  intelligible.  Evening  was  drawing  on, 
and  Ella,  almost  exhausted  by  grief,  had  sat  down  to 
rest  herself  and  bemoan  her  hard  fate  in  a  hollow 
coal  by  the  roadside,  when  she  was  startled  by  a 
rushing  sound  beneath  her,  which  convinced  her 
that  the  Fire-King  must  have  unexpectedly  re- 
turned, and  was  now  coming  on  his  swiftest  horse, 
which  traveled  faster  than  the  wind,  to  punish  his 
runaway  queen.  In  another  minute  the  iron  gates 
at  the  back  of  the  grate  were  thrown  open  with  a 
loud  crash,  and  the  Fire-King  galloped  furiously 
up  to  Ella,  perfectly  black  with  the  fierce  passion 
which  consumed  him,  and  closely  followed  by  his 
trembling  courtiers. 

"  Insolent  creature,"  cried  the  enraged  monarch, 
"  beware  how  you  tempt  my  wrath  !  What  audacity 
to  steal  my  treasures  and  corrupt  my  courtiers  in  so 
scandalous  a  manner.  But  I  might  have  known  the 
manner  in  which  you  would  behave,  when  I  chose 
for  my  queen  a  little  low-born  mortal,  whose  silly 
mother  had  taught  her  nothing  better  than  to  be  idle 
and  disobedient."  "  How  dare  you  abuse  my  dear 
mamma  ?  "  returned  Ella,  forgetting  her  terror — 
when  she  heard  her  mother  thus  rudely  blamed ; 
and  as  she  was  a  match  for  the  king  when  her  spirit 
was  up,  a  pitched  battle  began  between  the  royal 
pair,  which  threatened  to  be  serious.  This  way  and 
that  way  flew  the  live  coals,  the  courtiers  scuttled 
off  into  all  the  holes  and  corners  they  could  think 
of  to  be  out  of  harm's  way,  and  there  was  soon  a 
clear  stage  and  no  favor  for  the  angry  couple. 

In  the  midst  of  the  fray  the  fury  of  the  com- 
batants was  arrested  by  a  bright  blaze  which  sprang 
up  in  the  room  where  Ella's  mother  was  sitting,  for 


LITTLE  ELLA  AND  THE  FIRE-KING.  59 

the  red-hot  coals,  which  were  pelted  about  by  the 
king  and  queen  so  plentifully,  had  in  fact  set  fire 
to  the  house,  and  thus  Ella  was  doomed  to  be  the 
cause  of  nothing  but  misfortune  to  her  unhappy 
parent.  She  stood  transfixed  with  horror  at  the 
sight  of  the  spreading  flames,  but  the  Fire-King 
shouted  with  delight. 

"  Hurrah !  "  cried  he,  springing  out  into  the  blaze, 
"  this  is  a  sight  worth  all  my  treasures."  Ella  could 
distinguish  the  shrieks  of  her  dear  mamma  ringing 
high  above  the  roaring  of  the  flames,  the  crackling 
of  the  wood,  and  the  fiendish  laughter  of  the  Fire- 
King,  and  her  senses  failing  her,  she  fell  into  a  deep 
swoon. 

When  consciousness  returned  she  found  herself 
bound  hand  and  foot  in  a  miserable  dungeon,  se- 
curely guarded  by  two  wicked  little  Salamander 
goblins,  named  Grizzle  and  Frizzle,  who  had  charge 
of  the  state  prisoners.  She  was  allowed  no  better 
food  than  brimstone,  but  she  cared  little  for  this 
hardship ;  and  could  she  only  have  known  her 
mother  to  be  safe  and  happy  she  would  have  felt 
contented,  but  the  little  imps,  her  jailers,  laughed 
so  maliciously  when  she  entreated  them  to  satisfy 
her  on  this  point,  that  she  feared  the  worst. 

Many  wretched  days  passed  in  this  manner,  but 
one  night  when  poor  Ella  was  Iting  sleepless  on  her 
hard  bed,  her  attention  was  roused  by  the  cackling 
laughter  of  Grizzle  and  Frizzle,  who  seemed  to  be 
mightily  enjoying  some  joke  as  they  cowered  to- 
gether in  a  corner  over  a  blue  flame.  *'  Comrade," 
said  Grizzle,  "  the  king  will  certainly  bring  home  his 
new  bride  to-morrow ;  we  had  best  make  short  work 
of  Queen  Ella  to-night,  or  our  ears  will  be  well 
pulled  for  us."  "  What  you  say  is  true,"  replied 
Frizzle,  "  and  indeed  it  is  all  owing  to  your  laziness 


60  LITTLE  ELLA  AND  THE  FIRE-KING. 

that  we  did  not  kill  her  long  ago.  The  king  is 
coming  with  his  bride  to-morrow,  that  is  very  cer- 
tain ;  therefore  let  business  be  business,  and  we  will 
make  an  end  of  her  before  supper." 

Though  the  hapless  Ella  could  hear  every  word 
of  this,  all  power  to  move  or  scream  seemed  denied 
her ;  her  limbs  felt  stiff  and  heavy,  and  her  parched 
tongue  refused  to  utter  a  sound ;  the  little  goblins 
were  at  last  so  close  to  her  that  she  could  feel  their 
breath  upon  her  cheek,  and  knew  that  their  hideous 
leering  eyes  were  gloating  over  her ;  still  she  lay 
speechless  and  motionless.  Suddenly  a  loud  knock 
was  heard  at  the  door,  and  Ella  felt  her  bonds  and 
her  tongue  loosened  at  the  sound.  Springing  to 
her  feet,  she  uttered  a  piercing  scream.  "  Save  me, 
save  me !  "  .she  cried. 

"  Save  you !  "  said  her  mother,  entering  the  room. 
"  Why,  Ella,  have  you  been  asleep  and  dreaming, 
you  idle  puss?  What  a  tremble  you  are  in,  to  be 
sure !  "  "  Oh,  mamma,  mamma,"  cried  the  de- 
lighted child,  as  she  clung  round  her  mother's  dear 
neck  and  smothered  her  with  kisses,  "  is  it  really 
only  a  dream  ?  Yes,  yes !  your  hair  is  not  gray, 
the  house  is  not  burned.  Then  the  Fire-King  may 
marry  th ,  Italian  princess  with  all  my  heart,  for  I 
will  never,  never,  leave  you  again."  ''  You  are 
talking  sad  nonsense,  you  little  goose,  with  your 
Italian  princesses,"  said  her  mother,  laughing 
heartily ;  '*  but  come,  I  have  bought  you  your  hat 
and  pelisse ;  we  will  try  them  on  and  see  what  a 
beauty  you  will  look."  "  Nay,"  said  the  little  maiden 
sadly,  "  I  do  not  care  for  finery  now,  mamma,  and, 
indeed,  I  am  not  a  beauty,  but  only  a  vain,  silly 
child,  who  does  not  deserve  to  have  so  kind  a 
mother.  Come,  dear  mamma,  rest  yourself  in  your 
easy-chair,  take  off  your  wet  shoes,  and  let  me  wait 


LITTLE  ELLA  AND  THE  FIRE-KING.  61 

upon  you."  Then  Ella  bustled  about,  stirred  the 
fire,  drew  the  window  curtains,  and  made  her 
mother  some  hot  tea  and  toast.  As  they  sat  by  their 
cheerful  hearth  that  evening  Ella  related  all  her 
wonderful  adventures  in  fireland,  and  she  and  her 
mother  could  not  but  agree  that  it  is  doubtless  much 
more  pleasant  to  look  at  the  fire  than  to  live  in  it. 
Ever  since  that  time,  I  am  happy  to  tell  you,  Ella 
has  become  quite  a  changed  character.  She  now 
works  busily  for  her  mother,  and  is  her  greatest 
comfort ;  and  though  she  is  always  pretty  and  neat, 
she  no  longer  makes  fine  clothes  her  only  study. 
Doubtless  some  kind  fairy  must  have  sent  her  this 
wonderful  dream  to  cure  her  of  her  faults,  and  to 
make  her  henceforth  as  lovely  in  mind  as  she  had 
ever  been  in  person. 


THE  WONDERFUL  APPLE  TREE. 

A  SICK  man,  being  at  the  point  of  death,  sum- 
moned his  children,  three  sons  and  an  only  daugh- 
ter, to  his  bedside,  and  addressed  them  as  follows  : 

"  My  dear  children,  I  fear  my  hours  are  num- 
bered, and  that  I  shall  be  forced  to  leave  you  alone 
in  the  wide  world  to  shift  for  yourselves ;  but  be 
kind  and  affectionate  to  one  another,  and  comply 
with  my  last  request,  and  you  will  do  well.  I  have 
nothing  to  leave  you  but  the  small  plot  of  ground  on 
which  stands  the  young  apple  tree  I  planted  last 
summer,  for  things  have,  alas !  gone  badly  with  me 
since  I  became  too  feeble  to  work.  When  I  am 
dead,  I  charge  you,  my  sons,  to  take  out  my  heart 
and  brain  and  bury  them  beneath  the  apple  tree ; 
and,  above  all  things,  do  not  fail  to  dig  and  manure 
the  roots  four  times  a  year  ;  and  it  must  be  your  por- 
tion of  labor,  my  dear  little  daughter,  to  attend  to 
the  watering  of  the  tree,  which  will  well  repay  you 
for  your  care." 

The  kind  father  then  closed  his  eyes  and  died, 
to  the  great  affliction  of  his  poor  children,  who  thus 
found  themselves  alone  in  the  world,  almost  unpro- 
vided for. 

After  sorrowing  for  a  while,  they  bethought 
themselves  of  their  dying  father's  commands ;  so 
the  three  sons  took  out  his  heart  and  brain  and 
buried  them  beneath  the  tree,  the  roots  of  which  they 
dug  and  manured  as  they  had  been  directed.  As 
for  the  little  maiden,  she  grieved  for  her  father  so 
much  that  the  spot  was  continually  kept  watered  by 
62 


THE  WONDERFUL  APPLE  TREE.  63 

her  warm  tears  alone,  and  the  tree  grew  and  flour- 
ished so  rapidly  that  in  the  short  space  of  three 
months  the  trunk  became  as  large  as  a  small  tower, 
and  such  a  crop  of  apples  was  produced  as  was  never 
known  before.  Each  apple  weighed  more  than  a 
pound,  and  proved  to  be  of  so  rare  and  delicious  a 
flavor  that  a  large  sum  of  money  was  easily  raised 
by  the  sale  of  them.  Three  months  afterward,  to 
the  astonishment  of  everybody,  a  second  crop  ap- 
peared, even  finer  and  more  beautiful  than  the  first. 
In  short,  this  wonderful  tree  never  failed  to  bring 
forth  four  crops  of  magnificent  apples  every  year, 
and  the  three  brothers  with  their  sister  lived  to- 
gether in  comfort  and  plenty. 

Things  went  on  thus  for  some  time,  but  after 
a  while  the  brothers  said  to  each  other :  "  The  tree 
is  now  so  strong  and  flourishing  that  it  can  no  longer 
need  the  attention  we  have  hitherto  bestowed  on  it ; 
let  us,  therefore,  cease  to  dig  and  manure  the  roots, 
which  is  rough  work  and  quite  unfit  for  gentle- 
men." 

The  little  sister  begged  them  over  and  over  agam 
to  cherish  the  tree  as  before,  but  they  paid  no  heed 
to  her  advice,  and  spent  all  their  time  in  feasting 
and  diverting  themselves.  But,  though  thus  aban- 
doned to  chance  by  her  brothers,  the  maiden  was 
still  constant  to  her  beloved  charge,  and  the  tree 
was  watered  night  and  morning  by  her  tears,  which 
continued  to  flow  as  warmly  as  ever  oyer  the  spot 
where  her  dear  father's  remains  lay  buried. 

Three  months  had  passed  in  this  manner,  when 
one  day  on  visiting  the  tree  as  usual,  the  maiden 
perceived  that  the  ground,  beneath  which  reposed 
the  heart  and  brain  of  her  father,  had  been  dis- 
turbed ;  and  on  summoning  her  brothers  to  the 
spot,  thev  were  dismayed  at  discovering  that  these 


Q4:  THE  WONDERFUL  APPLE  TREE. 

precious  relics  had  entirely  disappeared.  Then  the 
little  sister  wept  and  wrung  her  hands.  "  Alas !  " 
cried  she,  "  some  misfortune  will  surely  befall  us, 
now  that  the  tree  is  deprived  of  its  chief  nourish- 
ment." 

Her  brothers  chid  her  for  her  folly,  although 
they  had  their  own  misgivings.  "  You  are  a  silly 
girl,"  said  they,  ''to  grieve  at  what  cannot  be  helped  *, 
see,  the  tree  is  loaded  with  apples,  which  we  will 
gather  to-morrow,  and  all  will  be  as  before." 

The  next  day,  however,  when  they  repaired  to  the 
garden  with  baskets  and  ladders  for  this  purpose, 
instead  of  a  flourishing  and  beautiful  apple  tree 
loaded  with  tempting  fruit,  they  found  a  scorched 
and  blackened  trunk,  furnished  with  only  a  few 
withered  and  leafless  branches. 

Then  they  all  began  crying  and  lamentihg,  and 
for  a  while  could  not  be  comforted,  but  at  last  the 
little  maiden  dried  her  tears  and  endeavored  to 
console  her  brothers.  "  Sorrow  will  not  feed  us," 
said  she ;  "  thei:efore  we  must  set  out  into  the  world 
and  work  for  our  living;  but  let  us  first  divide  the 
money  we  have  left  into  equal  shares,  and  do  you, 
brothers,  take  a  hatchet,  and  cut  the  trunk  of  the 
tree  into  logs,  which  will,  at  any  rate,  serve  to  warm 
us  through  the  winter." 

The  brothers  commended  her  wisdom,  and  each 
seizing  a  hatchet,  they  dealt  several  sturdy  blows  at 
the  trunk,  so  that  at  last  a  small  cleft  was  made  near 
the  roots,  when,  to  their  great  surprise,  they  found 
the  tree  to  be  entirely  hollow,  and,  peeping  through 
the  opening  they  had  made,  perceived  a  small  wind- 
ing staircase  in  the  interior.  They  now  redoubled 
their  blows,  and  soon  succeeded  in  cutting  away  a 
space  sufficiently  large  to  admit  of  their  entering 
the  tree  with  a  little  squeezing. 


THE  WONDERFUL  APPLE  TREE.  65 

They  lost  no  time  in  ascending  the  staircase,  but 
before  they  had  mounted  many  steps  they  found 
themselves  in  a  recess,  in  which  was  stored  away  all 
the  sap  which  would  have  nourished  the  tree,  had  it 
lived  to  its  full  time.  This  sap  was  a  syrup  of  so 
excellent  and  cordial  a  nature  that  it  exceeded  the 
choicest  wine  in  flavor,  and  after  tasting  it  the  eldest 
brother  declared  he  would  go  no  higher,  exclaiming 
he  desired  nothing  more  than  to  carry  off  such  a 
prize.  Accordingly  he  commenced  taking  off  his 
shoes,  his  stockings,  and  even  his  shirt,  which  he 
sewed  up  and  filled  full  of  the  sap.  His  brothers 
and  sisters,  after  vainly  endeavoring  to  persuade 
him  to  accompany  them  and  seek  for  something  bet- 
ter, were  at  last  compelled  to  leave  him  behind  and 
to  continue  the  ascent  without  him.  They  were 
getting  a  little  weary,  when  they  arrived  at  a  sec- 
ond recess,  in  which  were  stored  away  all  the  leaves 
that  would  have  sprouted  from  the  tree  had  it  lived 
to  its  full  time.  These  leaves  were  of  shining  silver, 
and  the.  second  brother  had  no  sooner  cast  his  eyes 
on  them  than  he  began  to  fill  his  pockets  as  fast 
as  he  could  with  the  glittering  treasure,  and  no 
longer  thought  of  seeking  for  any  richer  prize.  The 
two  others  therefore  left  him  busily  collecting  all 
the  leaves  into  heaps  to  carry  away  with  him,  and 
continued  their  journey  as  before. 

They  next  arrived  at  a  third  recess,  in  which  they 
found  all  the  apples  that  would  have  come  from  the 
tree  had  it  lived  to  its  full  time.  The  apples  were 
of  purest  gold,  and  the  youngest  brother  was  so 
enchanted  at  the  sight  of  such  wondrous  riches  that 
he  refused  to  go  any  higher.  "  This  is  the  treasure 
I  love  best  in  the  world."  said  he ;  and  accordingly 
set  to  work  to  carry  oflF  the  golden  apples  as  fast 
as  he  could,  quite  regardless  of  his  little  sister,  who, 


QQ  THE  WONDERFUL  APPLE  TREE. 

deserted  by  all  her  brothers,  was  left  to  mount  to  the 
top  of  the  tree  alone.  When  she  arrived  there  she 
found  only  a  bird's  nest,  but  as  large  as  all  the  nests 
that  would  have  been  built  in  the  tree  if  it  had  lived 
to  its  full  time.  In  the  nest  she  found  four  eggs 
as  large  as  all  the  eggs  that  would  have  been  laid 
in  the  nest  had  the  tree  lived  out  all  its  days.  On 
each  of  these  eggs  was  written  a  line  in  golden  let- 
ters.    On  the  first  were  these  words  : 

"  Seek  in  me  a  drunkard's  bride.'* 
On  the  second : 

"  Here  a  spendthrift  shall  abide." 
On  the  third : 

"  Here  a  miser  gold  may  hide." 
And  on  the  fourth : 

**  Me  you  may  divide." 

On  touching  the  eggs  the  maiden  perceived  that 
they  diminished  so  much  in  size  that  she  could 
easily  carry  them ;  so  she  tied  up  an  Qgg  in  each 
corner  of  her  apron,  and  descending  the  winding 
staircase,  found  her  brothers,  who,  having  emptied 
the  tree  of  its  treasures,  were  standing  together  and 
disputing  as  to  which  of  the  three  had  obtained  the 
greatest  riches.  As  soon  as  they  caught  sight  of 
their  sister  they  flew  to  her,  and  eagerly  asked  what 
luck  had  fallen  to  her  share ;  but  when  she  showed 
them  her  four  eggs  they  laughed  at  her  for  a  simple- 
ton, and  were  very  merry  at  her  expense. 

They  then  returned  home  together,  but  things 
were,   alas !   completely   changed    from   the   happy 


THE  WONDERFUL  APPLE  TREE,  67 

time  when  they  had  all  lived  so  merrily  and  affec- 
tionately with  one  another. 

Sad  to  say,  the  eldest  brother  did  nothing  but 
drink  of  the  sap  he  had  obtained  from  the  tree, 
from  morning  till  night.  The  second  brother,  who 
had  secured  the  silver  leaves,  squandered  his  riches 
in  the  most  foolish  manner  possible,  and  leaving  the 
cottage  he  had  formerly  shared  with  his  brothers 
and  sisters,  built  himself  a  fine  castle,  where  he  gave 
himself  up  to  all  sorts  of  diversions  and  sports. 
While  the  younger  brother,  who  had  taken  posses- 
sion of  the  golden  apples,  loved  his  treasure  so  very 
dearly  that  he  could  not  bear  to  part  with  a  single 
farthing.  He  had  his  apples  all  coined  into  golden 
guineas,  which  he  kept  locked  up  in  strong  boxes, 
and  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  time  in  counting 
them ;  at  last  he  almost  grudged  himself  a  crust  of 
bread  to  eat. 

The  little  maiden  now  led  a  very  sorrowful, 
lonely  life,  and  earned  but  a  little  money,  although 
she  sat  at  her  wheel  spinning  flax  all  day  long.  One 
day,  however,  she  bethought  herself  of  the  eggs  she 
had  found  in  the  tree,  and  hoped  that  they  might 
help  her  in  her  need.  She  therefore  went  to  her 
drawers,  and  taking  out  her  apron,  untied  one  cor- 
ner, and  out  dropped  the  egg  on  which  was  writ- 
ten, 

**  Seek  in  me  a  drunkard's  bride." 

Carrying  it  quickly  to  her  eldest  brother,  she  be- 
sought him  to  open  it,  but  no  sooner  had  he  done 
so  than  out  jumped  a  most  hideous  old  woman  of  a 
repulsive  and  loathsome  aspect,  dressed  in  rags  and 
tatters,  and  shaking  all  over  as  with  the  palsy.  This 
horrible  hag  then  rushed  up  to  the  unfortunate 
young  man.  and  clasping  him  closely  round  the  neck 


OS  THE  WONDERFUL  APPLE  TREE. 

with  her  skinny  arms,  sang  out  in  a  shrill  voice  these 
words : 

"  I  am  thine,  and  thou  art  mine, 
Till  is  found  the  charm  divine 
Which  shall  make  thee  loathe  thy  wine." 

It  is  easy  to  imagine  how  the  poor  sister  wept  and 
lamented,  and  resolved  not  to  open  any  more  of 
the  eggs  lest  worse  harm  should  befall ;  but  by  and 
by  the  second  brother  came  to  her,  saying :  "  I  have 
spent  all  I  have  in  the  world  and  have  been  obliged 
to  sell  my  fine  castle ;  therefore  I  am  without  a  roof 
to  shelter  me.  Give  me  I  pray  you,  the  egg  on 
which  is  written : 

*' '  Here  a  spendthrift  shall  abide.'  " 

So  his  sister  brought  him  the  egg,  but  lo  and  behold  ! 
no  sooner  had  he  broken  it  than  it  fell  to  the  ground, 
and  formed  a  large  iron  cage  which  completely  in- 
closed him,  and  from  which  all  hope  of  escape 
seemed  impossible.  At  this  the  maiden  wept  most 
bitterly.  "  Why,"  said  she,  "  am  I  doomed  to  so 
many  misfortunes?  Was  ever  maiden  so  hapless 
as  I?" 

While  her  tears  yet  flowed,  the  youngest  brother 
approached  her  and  said :  "  I  dreamed  last  night  that 
robbers  broke  into  our  dwelling  and  stole  my  chests 
of  gold,  and  I  fear  that  this  may  really  prove  the 
case,  for  I  know  not  where  to  hide  my  chests  out  of 
sight.  Fetch  me  immediately,  I  beg  of  you,  the  egg 
on  which  is  written : 

'*  *  Here  a  miser  gold  may  hide.'  " 
His  sister  besought  him  to  have  nothing  to  do 


THE  WONDERFUL  APPLE  TREE.  69 

with  such  unlucky  eggs.  "  See  to  what  they  have 
brought  our  brothers."  said  she. 

But  the  miser  instantly  replied :  "  Yes,  one  was 
a  drunkard  and  the  other  a  fool,  but  I  am  a  wise 
man  and  fear  no  harm ;  so  bring  me  the  egg  at  once 
or  it  shall  go  ill  with  you." 

The  sister  dared  no  longer  refuse,  and  brought 
him  the  third  egg  without  delay.  But  as  soon  as 
he  had  broken  it  out  came  a  large  stone  coffin,  which, 
falling  upon  the  miser  and  his  chest  of  gold,  shut 
him  up  in  a  living  grave. 

"  Xow,"  said  the  maiden,  "  I  will  open  the  fourth 
egg,  for  no  more  misfortunes  can  possibly  happen, 
and  good  may  yet  be  in  store  for  me."  She  there- 
fore cracked  the  remaining  egg,  and  drew  out  of  it 
first  one  golden  spade,  a  second,  a  third ;  then  a 
golden  spinning-wheel,  and  lastly,  a  small  golden 
casket,  on  which  was  written  these  lines : 

"  The  charm  contained  in  me 
Will  set  thy  brothers  free." 

The  casket  contained  nothing  more  nor  less  than 
the  missing  heart  and  brain  of  the  good  father,  em- 
balmed in  sweet-smelling  herbs  and  spices,  and  the 
little  maiden,  overjoyed  at  the  recovery  of  such  a 
treasure,  lost  not  a  moment  in  hastening  to  the  relief 
of  her  unfortunate  brothers.  She  first  applied  the 
charm  to  the  drunkard,  and  the  wine  he  was  carry- 
ing to  his  lips  changed  to  toads  and  adders  in  an  in- 
stant. Filled  with  disgust,  he  dashed  the  cup  away, 
and  his  horrible  bride  at  the  same  moment  loosed 
him  from  her  fatal  grasp  and  disappeared  with  a 
shriek  of  rage.  The  good  sister  next  sought  the  im- 
prisoned spendthrift,  whose  iron  cage  melted  away 
like  wax  at  the  magic  touch  of  the  charm. 


70  THE  WONDERFUL  APPLE  TREE. 

Lastly,  the  miser  was  released  from  his  living 
tomb  with  all  his  chests,  which,  when  opened,  proved 
to  contain  nothing  but  ashes.  The  three  brothers 
then  embraced  their  dear  sister  with  great  affection, 
and  thanked  her  more  than  a  thousand  times  for  the 
invaluable  services  she  had  rendered  them ;  but  the 
maiden  replied :  "  All  is  not  yet  finished.  Take 
each  of  you  a  golden  spade  as  my  gift,  and  let  the 
first  use  you  make  of  it  be  to  dig  under  the  ever- 
green that  shades  my  window,  and  deposit  the 
precious  casket  there." 

The  brothers  gladly  obeyed ;  and  the  next  day, 
after  smoothing  the  turf  over  this  hallowed  spot, 
they  shouldered  their  spades  and  hired  themselves 
to  a  farmer  to  dig.  Thanks  to  their  golden  spades 
they  could  each  dig  as  much  in  ona  day  as  an  ordi- 
nary laborer  would  have  done  in  six,  and  you  may 
imagine  their  joy  when  they  carried  home  to  their 
sister  in  the  evening  a  week's  earnings  for  a  day's 
labor,  and  found  that  in  the  meantime  she  had  spun 
at  her  golden  wheel  as  much  flax  in  one  day  as  she 
could  before  have  done  in  six. 

All  went  well,  therefore,  in  future  with  the  young 
people,  who  lived  together  for  the  remainder  of  their 
lives — happy,  industrious,  and  united,  and  who 
never  regretted  the  lesson  they  had  received  from 
their  neglect  of  the  wonderful  apple  tree. 


HAZEL  AXD  FAIR:  OR.  THE  FLIES' 
HOSPITAL. 

A  GOOD  king,  who  had  long  ruled  his  kingdom 
well  and  happily,  was  conquered  in  battle  by  a  pow- 
erful enemy,  and  at  last  was  forced  to  fly  from  his 
kingdom  with  the  queen  and  his  two  sons,  to  seek  his 
living  as  best  he  could  in  the  wide  world. 

The  unfortunate  king,  thus  driven  away  from  his 
beautiful  palace  and  deprived  of  all  his  riches,  did 
not  waste  his  time  in  fruitless  sorrow,  but  setting 
to  work  as  cheerfully  as  he  could,  he  built  a  pretty 
little  hut  in  the  midst  of  a  wood,  and  while  the  queen 
cooked,  washed,  and  spun  for  the  family,  the  king 
emploved  himself  and  his  two  sons  in  making  bas- 
kets from  the  rushes  and  osiers  that  grew  hard  by, 
which  they  sold  at  the  nearest  town,  and  so  earned 
a  scanty  subsistence  by  their  labor. 

Xow  the  two  princes,  who  were  born  on  the  same 
day,  were  both  extremely  handsome ;  they  also 
strongly  resembled  each  other  in  person,  but  the 
elder  prince's  hair  was  the  color  of  a  hazelnut,  and 
the  younger  prince's  curls  shone  like  gold,  so  the 
queen  had  named  them  Prince  Hazel  and  Prince 
Fair.  The  likeness  between  these  two  brothers  did 
not.  however,  extend  to  their  tempers,  and  never 
indeed  was  there  a  greater  contrast  in  this  respect : 
for  whereas  Prince  Fair  was  always  contented  and 
cheerful.  Prince  Hazel  thought  himself  very  hardly 
used  to  be  obliged  to  work  for  his  living,  and  though 
he  durst  not  show  his  ill-humor  to  his  parents,  vet 

71 


72  HAZEL  AND  FAIR. 

he  was  so  cross  and  selfish  in  his  behavior  to  Prince 
Fair  that  if  that  amiable  young  man  had  not  pos- 
sessed the  sweetest  disposition  in  the  world  he  could 
not  have  borne  it  for  a  day.  As  it  was,  he  very  fre- 
quently performed  not  only  his  own  share  of  work, 
but  also  that  which  Prince  Hazel  w^as  too  indolent 
to  finish  himself,  for,  said  the  kind  brother  to  him- 
self, ''  Poor  Hazel  seems  to  feel  his  troubles  more 
than  I  do." 

One  evening,  after  the  day's  labor  was  ended,  the 
two  young  princes  were  resting  by  the  side  of  a 
small  stream,  whence  they  procured  the  rushes  and 
osiers  for  their  baskets,  when  Prince  Fair's  atten- 
tion was  attracted  by  seeing  a  vast  number  of  flies 
clustered  together  in  the  hollow  of  a  tree  which 
stood  on  the  banks,  and  the  branches  of  which 
dipped  into  the  stream.  A  little  wild  honey  was  the 
cause  of  these  flies  assembling,  as  the  young  prince 
soon  perceived  when  he  had  walked  up  to  the  tree, 
and  he  could  not  help  laughing  to  see  how  the  silly 
insects  fought  and  scrambled  over  this  bit  of  honey, 
just  as  greedily  as  if  there  had  not  been  enough  and 
to  spare  for  all  if  they  had  taken  things  quietly. 
"  There  are  many  kings  who  must  have  learned 
their  lesson  from  you,"  thought  Prince  Fair. 

Just  at  this  moment  a  little  timid  and  inoffen- 
sive fiy,  which  had  only  ventured  on  the  very  edge 
of  the  honey,  was  roughly  pushed  aside  by  a 
bouncing  bluebottle  in  the  most  spiteful  manner,  and 
falling  over  into  the  water  on  its  back  was  quickly 
submerged  by  the  force  of  the  current.  Snatching 
it  from  the  water,  apparently  quite  dead.  Prince 
Fair  laid  the  little  creature  on  a  rose  leaf,  and 
scraped  some  chalk  over  it  from  a  lump  which  he 
happened  to  have  in  his  pocket,  and  in  a  few 
minutes,  as  the  chalk  sucked  the  moisture  from  the 


HAZEL  AND  FAIR.  73 

fly's  delicate  limbs,  it  began  to  thrust  out  first  one 
leg  and  then  another  from  beneath  the  mountain  of 
powder   which   encumbered   it. 

Prince  Fair  was  so  intent  upon  his  occupation 
that  he  did  not  hear  the  approach  of  Prince  Hazel, 
who,  being  quite  tired  of  his  own  company,  now 
came  to  see  what  on  earth  could  keep  his  brother  so 
long  near  the  tree.  "  Sugar,  I  declare!  "  cried  he, 
greedily  stretching  his  arm  over  his  brother's  shoul- 
der to  seize  a  pinch  of  the  powdered  chalk. 

"  Do  not — oh,  do  not  eat  my  poor  fly  !  "  exclaimed 
Prince  Fair,  hastily  intercepting  the  approaching 
fingers  from  his  little  patient. 

''Eat  your  fly!"  returned  Prince  Hazel  indig- 
nantly ;  "  pray,  do  you  take  me  for  a  spider  ?  " 

"  Xo  one  could  mistake  you  for  so  industrious 
an  insect,"  said  Prince  Fair,  laughing;  "  but  see  my 
drowned  fly  has  now  quite  recovered,  and  will  soon 
flv  awav  as  gavlv  as  ever.  Does  not  this  surprise 
vou?"' 

''  I  think  it  is  capital  fun,"  said  Prince  Hazel, 
mightily  pleased  with  this  new  amusement ;  "  so  lend 
me  your  piece  of  chalk  and  find  me  plenty  of 
drowned  flies,  my  good  fellow,  and  I  will  cure  them 
for  you  as  long  as  you  please." 

Prince  Fair,  with  a  smile,  complied  with  Hazel's 
request,  and  finding  a  great  many  drowned  flies  in 
the  stream,  he  quickly  and  skillfully  wove  a  little 
house  of  rushes  and  set  it  beneath  the  tree,  placing 
on  it,  in  letters  small  enough  for  flies  to  read,  this 
inscription :  "  Hospital  for  Drowned  Flies." 
Within  this  hospital  Prince  Fair  arranged  several 
neat  little  rows  of  beds  formed  of  leaves  and  moss ; 
and  in  another  apartment  he  next  day  placed  nut- 
shell boxes  filled  with  sugar,  treacle,  and,  in  short, 
every  dainty  that  could  tempt  a  sick  fly's  appetite. 


^4  Hazel  and  fair. 

Prince  Hazel  was  highly  delighted  with  the  little 
building,  and  passed  all  his  leisure  time  with  Prince 
Fair  in  attending  to  his  insect  patients. 

After  some  time,  the  honey  being  eaten  from  the 
hollow  tree,  the  flies  no  longer  assembled  in  such 
numbers,  and  the  little  leafy  beds  were  at  last  unoc- 
cupied for  many  days  together,  which  greatly  an- 
noyed Prince  Hazel,  who  now  grumbled  and  yawned 
more  than  ever  for  want  of  something  better  to  do. 
Even  Prince  Fair  could  not  but  regret  the  loss  of 
his  occupation :  and  when,  one  evening,  seated  alone 
by  the  stream,  he  saw  a  wounded  fly  crawling  feebly 
on  the  river  bank,  he  felt  half-tempted  to  push  it 
into  the  water,  in  order  that  he  might  have  the  pleas- 
ure of  conveying  to  Hazel  a  new  patient  for  the 
hospital. 

The  next  instant  he  blushed  with  shame  for  his 
cruel  thought,  and  taking  the  little  fly  tenderly  in 
his  hand,  he  laid  it  in  the  center  of  a  pretty  red 
flower  which  grew  near.  ''  Rest  in  safety,  poor  fly," 
said  he,  "  and  if  to-morrow  you  are  still  here  you 
shall  have  a  charming  breakfast  of  fruit  and  honey. 
As  the  young  prince  turned  to  depart  he  was  startled 
by  hearing  his  name  pronounced  in  a  clear,  silvery 
tone ;  he  looked  up  and  he  looked  down,  but  nothing 
could  he  see  save  the  fly  in  the  red  flower. 

"  I  am  dreaming,"  thought  the  prince,  "  for 
surely  flies  cannot  speak." 

"  Prince  Fair,  Prince  Fair,"  was  again  re- 
peated, and  this  time  there  could  be  no  mistake 
about  it ;  it  zuas  the  fly  who  spoke,  and  as  the  as- 
tonished youth  looked  at  her,  she  changed  through 
all  the  colors  of  the  rainbow,  and  grew  larger  and 
larger  till  she  turned  into  the  most  exquisite  fairy 
that  eyes  ever  beheld ;  her  wings  were  of  purple  and 
gold,  her  dress  was  formed  of  woven  stars,  and  in 


HAZEL  AND  FAIR.  75 

her  hand  she  held  a  wand,  on  the  top  of  which 
shone  a  ruby  fly  of  a  wonderful  luster  to  behold. 

"  Xoble  and  generous  Prince  Fair,"  said  the 
fairy,  ''  I  am  the  Fairy  Firefly,  and  once  in  every 
hundred  years  I  am  compelled  to  assume  the  form  of 
a  common  fly,  or  I  should  lose  my  fairy  power; 
while  in  that  disguise  you  have  twice  saved  my  life, 
and  you  shall  not  find  me  ungrateful.  An  old  witch, 
who  is  my  greatest  enemy,  took  the  form  of  a  blue- 
bottle, and  pushed  me  into  the  water  on  the  day  you 
so  kindly  rescued  me,  and  this  morning  she  bruised 
my  wing  with  the  seed  of  a  fig,  so  that  I  might  have 
been  trampled  on  and  crushed  had  it  not  been  for 
your  assistance.  Here  are  two  boxes,"  continued 
she,  "  one  of  which  will  give  you  riches  and  gran- 
deur for  yourself,  and  the  other  will  enable  you  to 
bestow  anything  you  desire  on  those  you  love.  Sav, 
Prince  Fair,  which  of  these  two  boxes  shall  be 
yours  ?  " 

"  ^ladam,"  said  the  prince,  bowing  low  to  the 
fair}',  *'  I  esteem  myself  so  fortunate  in  having  ren- 
dered you  a  service  that  I  cannot  do  better  than 
choose  the  box  which  may  perhaps  give  me  the  same 
happiness  on  a  future  occasion." 

At  this  the  fairy  blushed  and  smiled,  for  the  noble 
and  handsome  young  man  looked  every  inch  a 
prince,  in  spite  of  his  coarse  clothes,  and  no  one 
could  turn  a  compliment  with  a  better  grace  or  a 
more  courtly  wit  than  he  could.  Then  she  presented 
Prince  Fair  with  a  diamond  casket,  and  said : 
"  \\^henever  you  desire  to  perform  a  kind  action, 
you  will  always  find  in  this  box  a  single  tear,  which 
you  must  drop  into  your  right  eye,  and  whatever 
you  wish  for  will  instantly  come  to  pass." 

Saying  these  words  the  beautiful  Firefly  smiled 
kindly  on  the  prince,  and  spreading  her  glittering 


76  HAZEL  AND  FAIR. 

wings,  disappeared  behind  some  rosy  clouds  in  the 
western  sky,  leaving  him  almost  unable  to  believe  in 
his  good  fortune. 

Soon  after  this  Prince  Hazel  also  wandered  to 
the  river  bank  to  see  if,  by  any  lucky  chance,  he 
might  meet  with  a  patient  for  the  hospital.  As  he 
was  looking  about,  he  too  perceived  a  wounded  fly 
crawling  feebly  and  painfully  along  (for  the  fairy, 
in  order  to  try  him,  had  again  assumed  this  form), 
and  you  may  be  sure  that,  unlike  his  tender-hearted 
brother,  this  selfish  prince  did  not  pause  to  think 
of  the  needless  pain  he  might  be  giving  a  helpless  in- 
sect, but  twitching  the  fly  into  the  water  with  the 
point  of  his  stick,  he  held  it  under  until  it  was  to 
all  appearance  dead ;  scarcely,  however,  had  he 
taken  it  up  to  carry  it  to  the  hospital  when  he  sud- 
denly dropped  it  in  a  great  fright,  for  the  fly  felt  in 
his  hand  for  all  the  world  like  a  red-hot  coal,  and 
no  sooner  had  it  fallen  to  the  ground  than  it  grew 
larger  and  larger  as  before,  until  it  changed  into  a 
fairy,  but  this  time  in  the  shape  of  a  little  old  woman 
in  a  scarlet  cloak,  a  high-crowned  hat,  and  red- 
heeled  shoes.  With  a  gracious  smile  she  hobbled 
up  to  Prince  Hazel,  who  was  shaking  in  his  shoes 
with  terror  at  the  very  unexpected  appearance  of  the 
old  lady,  and  ofifered  that  young  prince  his  choice 
of  the  two  boxes  as  she  had  before  done  to  Prince 
Fair. 

"  Oh,  ho !  "  thought  Hazel,  ''  fairies  are  not  so 
wise  as  they  would  have  one  think,  for  this  old 
simpleton  does  not  seem  to  have  the  least  idea  that 
I  gave  her  a  ducking  for  my  own  amusement,  and 
besides  is  foolish  enough  to  ask  me  to  choose  be- 
tween rich  and  powerful  myself,  or  making  other 
people  so ;"  then  said  he  aloud ;   "I  choose  the  box 


HAZEL  AND  FAIR.  77 

which  will  give  me  the  power  of  being  the  richest 
king  in  all  the  world." 

"  Take  this  golden  box,  then,"  replied  the  fairy, 
"  and  whenever  you  wish  you  will  only  have  to 
sprinkle  on  the  ground  the  pinch  of  gold  dust  which 
it  will  always  contain,  and  your  wish  will  be  imme- 
diately granted  ;  but  remember  that  though  nothing 
is  so  grand  that  you  may  not  possess  it  yourself,  yet 
you  can  do  no  good  to  others  with  your  wealth." 

"  That  is  of  no  consequence  at  all,"  cried  Hazel 
impatiently,  and  scarcely  waiting  to  thank  the  fairy 
for  her  generosity,  he  snatched  the  golden  box  from 
her  hand,  and  ran  ofif  wild  with  delight  at  thinking 
of  all  the  fine  things  he  might  now  have  for  the 
wishing. 

The  first  use  which  Prince  Fair  had  made  of 
his  diamond  box  had  been  to  wish  that  his  dear 
parents  might  be  restored  to  their  palace  and  king- 
dom, for  he  could  not  bear  to  think  that  they,  who 
had  once  been  the  highest  in  the  land,  should  now 
have  to  work  as  hard  as  the  poorest  laborers  for 
their  living;  and  when  Prince  Hazel  reached  that 
spot  in  the  wood  where  the  little  hut  used  to  stand, 
he  found  in  its  place  a  palace  of  gold  and  ivory,  at 
the  door  of  which  stood  his  father  and  mother 
dressed  with  great  magnificence,  with  crowns  on 
their  heads  and  surrounded  by  all  the  lords  and 
ladies  of  the  court. 

At  Hazel's  approach  Prince  Fair  sprang  forward 
to  embrace  him.  "  Dearest  brother,"  said  he,  '*  our 
dear  father  and  mother  are  once  more  restored  to 
their  kingdom  ;  and  for  yourself  you  have  henceforth 
only  to  express  a  wish,  and  I  will  employ  the  gift 
of  a  kind  fairy  to  grant  you  instantly  your  desire." 

Hazel  turned  coldly  and  sullenly  from  his  broth- 
er's embrace,  for  his  envious  temper  could  not  en- 


78  HAZEL  AND  t^AIR. 

dure  that  any  but  himself  should  be  gifted  by  the 
fairies.  ''  I  do  not  need  your  help,  Prince  Fair," 
said  he ;  ''  for  you  must  not  think  you  are  the  only 
one  thus  favored ;  you  may  keep  your  precious  gifts 
for  those  who  want  them ;  for  my  part,  I  shall  wish 
for  a  kingdom  a  hundred  times  larger  than  my 
father's,  which  appears  to  me  very  paltry  and  insig- 
nificant, and  I  will  have,  besides,  a  palace  of  jewels 
and  heaps  of  treasure." 

Hazel  then  opened  his  box  and  sprinkled  the 
ground  with  the  golden  dust,  and  immediately  there 
appeared  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  lake  a  palace 
of  diamonds,  rubies,  and  emeralds,  almost  too  daz- 
zling to  behold,  and  surrounded  by  trees  and  shrubs 
which  bore  jewels  instead  of  leaves ;  the  fountains 
in  this  enchanted  kingdom  played  liquid  pearls,  and 
the  feathers  of  the  birds  which  sang  in  the  groves 
were  pure  gold  and  silver.  Hazel  next  wished  for 
a  dress  suitable  to  his  rank,  and  he  instantly  found 
himself  clothed  in  a  suit  of  crimson  velvet  and  white 
satin  wrought  with  gold  and  blazing  with  gems ;  a 
purple  velvet  cap  looped  with  diamonds  and  sur- 
mounted by  a  snow-white  plume  completed  his  at- 
tire, the  magnificence  of  which  I  want  words  to  de- 
scribe. A  fine  white  horse,  with  suitable  attendants, 
next  appeared  at  the  prince's  wish,  and  taking  leave 
coldly  of  his  parents  and  brother.  King  Hazel 
mounted  his  steed  and  departed  to  his  kingdom, 
leaving  the  generous  Prince  Fair  more  grieved  at 
his  unkindness  than  envious  of  his  good  fortune. 

When  King  Hazel  passed  the  golden  gates  of  his 
kingdom  the  people  ran  out  in  crowds  to  welcome 
their  new  monarch,  and  shouted  with  joy  at  his 
handsome  and  noble  appearance,  and  many  of  the 
poor  and  the  old  pressed  round  him  and  begged  for 
charity.      Hazel  carelessly  flung  gold  and  jewels 


HAZEL  AND  FAlH.  79 

among  them,  but  no  sooner  had  they  touched  the 
ghttering-  treasure  than  it  turned  into  dust  and 
ashes ;  so  the  people  grew  very  angry  and  imagined 
that  the  king  mocked  at  their  misery  for  his  own 
amusement.  Nevertheless,  whatever  Prince  Hazel 
wished  for,  to  add  to  his  own  magnificence,  was 
granted  immediately,  and  it  was  only  when  he  at- 
tempted to  give  to  others  that  his  riches  failed  him. 

He  dined  every  day  on  the  most  sumptuous 
dishes ;  he  lay  in  a  bed  of  softest  down,  or  reclined 
on  couches  of  velvet  and  brocade ;  but  there  was  one 
thing  which  the  king  could  not  obtain,  and  that  was 
happiness,  for  the  poorest  subject  in  the  kingdom 
was  less  miserable  than  the  king  soon  became  in 
his  diamond  palace.  His  jewels  and  treasures 
served  to  give  him  no  pleasure,  and  indeed  became 
of  no  more  value  in  his  sight  than  the  stones  on  the 
seashore ;  and  as  for  his  servants  and  nobles,  they 
hated  him,  though  they  were  compelled  to  serve 
him  because  of  his  great  power.  All  this  did  not 
improve  his  temper ;  he  grew  more  cruel  and  selfish 
every  day  of  his  life,  and  never  were  subjects 
cursed  with  so  wicked  a  king. 

One  of  his  favorite  amusements  was  to  drive  a 
chariot  drawn  by  nine  fierce  horses  furiously 
through  the  streets,  riding  over  all  he  met,  till  the 
city  was  frequently  strewn  with  the  legs  and  arms 
of  people  he  had  killed  by  the  way.  One  day  when 
he  was  occupied  in  this  manner  he  saw  a  little  old 
woman  in  the  middle  of  the  road,  dressed  in  a  scar- 
let cloak,  high-crowned  hat,  and  red-heeled  shoes 
— in  fact,  the  very  same  fairy  who  had  given  him 
the  golden  box  and  all  his  grandeur.  At  the  sight 
of  her  the  horses  stopped  of  their  own  accord,  and 
would  not  stir  a  step,  which  made  the  king  quite 
beside  himself  with  rage. 


80  HAZEL  AND  FAIR. 

"  Good  luck  and  good  morrow  to  your  grace," 
said  the  little  woman,  with  a  low  courtesy. 

*'  Out  of  the  way,  you  old  witch,"  shouted  the 
king,  ''  or  I  will  pound  you  to  a  jelly !  " 

"  Nay,  your  majesty,"  replied  the  fairy,  "  you 
would  scarcely  do  that  for  old  acquaintance'  sake ; 
and  besides,  knowing  that  so  great  a  king  will  need 
a  bride  worthy  of  him,  I  have  trudged  many  a  mile 
over  hill  and  dale  to  bring  you  the  portrait  of  the 
Golden  Beauty." 

''  Who  is  the  Golden  Beauty  ?  "  asked  the  king, 
somewhat  appeased. 

'*  She  is  the  loveliest  princess  on  the  face  of  the 
earth,"  replied  the  fairy,  ''  and  she  is  compelled  to 
sit  in  the  Crystal  Cave  under  the  seven  marble  rocks 
until  that  prince  shall  seek  her  who  can  bring  her 
the  most  precious  gift  in  all  the  world.  Will  you 
not  try  your  chance,  O  king?  " 

The  fairy  then  presented  Hazel  with  a  small  min- 
iature, set  round  with  pearls,  and  taking  off  her 
high-crowned  hat,  she  sat  down  on  it,  and  it 
mounted  with  her  into  the  air  and  disappeared  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye. 

No  sooner  had  the  king  looked  at  the  portrait 
of  the  Golden  Beauty  than  he  fell  violently  in  love 
with  her,  and  he  vowed  he  would  neither  eat  nor 
sleep  till  he  had  won  her  for  his  wife.  So,  never 
doubting  that  the  golden  box  would  prove  the  most 
precious  gift  in  the  world  to  the  princess,  he 
mounted  his  horse  and  rode  for  seven  nights  and 
seven  days  till  he  arrived  at  the  Crystal  Cave  where 
the  Golden  Beauty  was  imprisoned.  The  gates  of 
the  cave  flew  open  at  the  approach  of  the  illustrious 
suitor,  and  Hazel  was  almost  blinded  by  the  daz- 
zling beantv  of  the  princess,  whose  charms  threw 
a  golden  light  on  all  around  her ;  but  when  he  knelt 


HAZEL  AND  FAIE.  81 

before  her  and  offered  her  his  gift  she  laughed 
scornfully  and  said : 

*'  The  Golden  Beauty  has  no  need  of  riches  which 
turn  to  dust  and  ashes  in  the  giving :  see  you  not,  O 
king !  that  my  beauty  outshines  the  purest  gold,  and 
that  diamonds  are  but  as  worthless  pebbles  to  the 
brightness  of  my  eyes." 

As  she  spoke  a  thick  veil  descended  and  hid 
her  from  the  king's  sight,  and  though  he  tugged 
and  pulled,  he  could  neither  tear  nor  push  it  aside, 
and  so  was  forced  to  depart  without  again  seeing 
the  princess. 

On  his  way  home  he  fell  sick  with  love  and  rage, 
and  reached  his  kingdom  more  dead  than  alive ; 
but  when  his  nobles  and  servants  saw  his  pitiable 
condition  they  said  :  "  We  will  leave  him  to  himself, 
for  he  will  be  sure  to  die,  and  the  world  will  be  well 
rid  of  such  a  monster." 

So  they  took  with  them  all  the  riches  they  could 
lav  their  hands  on  and  decamped,  leaving  the  sick 
king  alone  in  his  glittering  palace. 

As  soon  as  the  fairy  had  given  the  unlucky  Hazel 
the  portrait  of  the  Golden  Beauty,  she  sped  like 
the  wind  till  she  reached  the  kingdom  of  Prince 
Fair's  father,  and  walking  into  the  city,  she  heard 
the  bells  ringing  and  the  people  shouting.  "  Pray, 
what  is  all  this  about  ? ' '  said  she  to  the  bystanders. 

"You  must  have  dropped  from  the  moon,  Goody," 
said  they,  "  not  to  know  that  to-day  our  dear  young 
prince  is  to  be  crowned  king,  for  his  father  is  old 
and  tired  of  the  cares  of  state,  and  we  will  have  no 
one  but  Prince  Fair  to  reign  over  us  in  his  stead." 

While  they  spoke  thus,  a  flourish  of  trumpets  was 
heard,  and  robed  in  purple  and  silver,  his  golden 
curls  shining  beneath  a  diamond  crown,  the  glorious 
Prince  Fair  appeared,  riding  on  a  richly  caparisoned 


82  HAZEL  AND  FAIR. 

horse,  and  bowing  low  and  gracefully  to  the  people. 

"  Charity,  noble  king,"  cried  the  old  woman, 
pressing  forward  in  the  crowd  till  she  touched  the 
king's  stirrup. 

"  Who  asks  for  charity  ?  "  cried  Prince  Fair,  in- 
stantly checking  his  horse  and  opening  his  diamond 
box ;  "  I  had  hoped  that  no  one  in  this  happy  king- 
dom wanted  for  anything;  but  speak,  good  woman, 
and  your  king  will  give  you  all  you  ask." 

As  he  said  this  the  scarlet  cloak  and  high- 
crowned  hat  of  the  old  woman  flew  off,  and  King 
Fair  beheld  once  more  the  sparkling  beauty  of  the 
Fairy  Firefly. 

"  I  see,"  said  she,  as  the  king  dismounted  and 
bent  low  before  her,  ''  that  you  make  good  use  of 
your  gift,  and  before  I  take  my  leave  of  you  forever 
I  will  give  you  the  portrait  of  the  Golden  Beauty, 
who  alone  is  worthy  to  be  your  queen." 

Then  the  fairy  told  the  young  king  how  to  find 
the  princess,  and  how  she  waited  in  the  Crystal  Cave 
under  the  seven  marble  rocks  for  the  prince  who 
should  bring  her  the  most  precious  gift  in  all  the 
world.  And  saying  this.  Firefly  mounted  on  a  sun- 
beam and  departed  to  Fairyland,  leaving  Prince 
Fair  more  desperately  in  love  with  the  exquisite 
beauty  of  the  picture  than  even  Prince  Hazel  had 
been  before.  He,  too,  believed  that  his  diamond  box 
would  please  the  princess  better  than  anything  in 
the  world  besides ;  and  having  appointed  the  wisest 
noble  in  the  land  to  reign  in  his  absence,  he  mounted 
his  horse  and  rode  for  seven  days  and  seven  nights 
till  he  too  reached  the  seven  marble  rocks  and  the 
Crystal  Cave. 

When  the  handsome  Prince  Fair  approached  the 
Golden  Beauty,  the  cave  shot  forth  living  rays  of 
gold  in  the  splendor  of  her  smile,  but  she  rejected 


HAZEL  AND  FAIR.  83 

the  diamond  box,  as  she  had  before  refused  the 
golden  casket  of  King  Hazel.  "  Alas,"  said  she, 
''  this  is  not  the  gift  which  will  win  me  for  your 
bride.  Have  you,  O  prince,  nothing  that  will  be 
more  precious  to  me?" 

'*  Then,"  said  the  young  prince,  "  I  offer  you, 
madam,  the  crown  of  my  happy  kingdom  and  all 
that  it  contains."  But  the  princess  still  shook  her 
head,  and  tears  like  diamonds  fell  from  her  starry 
eyes. 

"  Cruel  Firefly,  you  have  deceived  me,"  thought 
the  prince. 

"  Farewell,  dear  princess,"  said  he  mournfully, 
''  we  are  parted  forever ;  for  I  can  ofifer  you  nothing 
more  than  the  love  of  a  true  heart." 

'*  And  that,"  said  the  beauty,  with  a  smile  like 
a  sunbeam,  ''  is  the  gift  which  is  the  most  precious 
in  the  world  to  me,  and  I  will  be  your  fond  and 
faithful  wife." 

Then  she  gave  the  prince  her  hand,  and  they  de- 
parted to  the  prince's  kingdom,  over  which  they 
reigned  happy  and  beloved  to  their  lives'  end. 

But  what  became  of  King  Hazel  I  have  never  been 
able  to  discover ;  for  though  when  King  Fair  heard 
of  his  sickness  he  sought  for  him  anxiously  that  he 
might  effect  his  cure  with  the  diamond  casket,  he 
was  nowhere  to  be  found,  and  no  doubt  was  carried 
off  by  evil  spirits,  and  his  kingdom  has  since  entirely 
disappeared. 


A  PIG  FOR  AN  HOUR. 

In  those  good  old  days  when  fairies  still  danced 
on  the  green  swards  of  merry  England,  there  lived 
a  worthy  farmer  and  his  wife,  whom  Providence 
had  blessed  with  an  only  son,  who  was  known  far 
and  wide  by  the  name  of  Fat  Wilfrid.  This  boy 
was  the  delight  of  his  parents,  who  were  wont  to 
boast,  in  the  pride  of  their  hearts,  that  his  match 
was  not  to  be  found  in  all  the  country  round ;  his 
legs  and  arms  were  like  plump  sausages ;  his  body 
was  as  round  as  a  cannon-ball,  and  his  cheeks  were 
puffed  out  to  the  size  and  color  of  boiled  apple 
dumplings ;  and  if  you  had  only  once  seen  him  eat 
his  dinner,  you  would  never  have  forgotten  the 
sight !  yet,  notwithstanding  the  substantial  nature 
of  his  meals,  Wilfrid  did  nothing  but  grumble  from 
morning  till  night  at  the  scantiness  of  his  diet. 

It  chanced,  one  New  Year's  eve,  that  a  party  of 
friends  and  neighbors  were  gathered  closely  round 
the  ample  chimney  corner  of  the  good  farmer  and 
his  wife ;  and  after  awhile  they  fell  to  talking  on  the 
wonderful  things  which  had  been  done  in  their 
young  days  by  the  fairies,  or  good  people,  as  they 
called  them.  One  old  gossip  related  how  that  she 
had  once  wished  health  and  happiness  to  the  good 
people  over  a  mug  of  ale,  and  the  next  morning  had 
found  her  cows  ready  milked,  and  the  pails  standing 
in  the  dairy.  Another  told  a  story  of  a  slatternly 
serving-maid,  who,  whenever  she  had  slighted  her 
work,  was  punished  by  such  cramps  and  pinchings 
at  night  that  she  was  fain  to  leave  her  bed  and  per- 
84 


A  PIG  FOR  AN  HOUR.  85 

form  her  task  properly,  in  order  to  obtain  any  sleep 
at  all.  But  the  only  tale  which  at  all  engaged  Wil- 
frid's fancy  was  that  of  a  poor  woman,  who,  when 
she  and  her  children  were  nearly  starving,  did  not 
refuse  to  share  her  last  crust  with  an  aged  beggar 
at  her  gate,  and  was  rewarded  by  finding  in  her  mis- 
erable cottage,  the  next  morning,  a  large  box,  which 
she  found  to  be  filled  with  no  end  of  good  things, 
both  roast  and  boiled  ;  and  the  best  of  which  was, 
that  no  sooner  was  one  dainty  eaten  than  another  ap- 
peared in  its  place.  This  tale  produced  a  great 
longing  in  Wilfrid's  mind  for  just  such  another  box, 
and  he  wished  this  wish,  morning,  noon,  and  night, 
for  so  long  a  time  that  at  last  he  chanced  to  hit  upon 
the  lucky  moment  when  everybody's  desires  are 
granted,  and  a  large  box,  made  of  rich  plum  cake, 
jumped  up  through  the  floor  before  him  so  suddenly 
that  the  surprise  almost  took  away  his  breath.  On 
the  lid  of  the  chest  these  lines  were  traced  in  cara- 
way comfits : 

Stuff  your  best  from  the  fairies'  chest, 

Tart,  custard,  apple,  or  fig  ; 
For  an  hour  then  appear  unto  men 

In  the  shape  of  a  large  white  pig. 

Small  heed  did  \Mlfrid  pay  to  these  lines,  though, 
in  picking  out  and  eating  the  sugar-plums  of  which 
they  were  composed,  he  could  scarcely  avoid  reading 
them.  He  then  opened  his  box  and  wished,  first 
for  roast  goose  and  plum  pudding,  and  afterward 
for  tarts,  mince  pies,  custards,  peaches,  nectarines, 
and  sweetmeats,  all  of  which  issued  from  the  won- 
derful chest  at  his  desire,  and  were  devoured  by 
him  with  amazing  rapidity  one  after  another.  The 
dinner-bell  sounding  loudly  through  the  house  put 
an  end  to  his  feast ;  for  as  he  was  never  a  minute  too 


86  A  PIG  FOR  AN  HOUR. 

late  in  a  usual  way,  and  indeed  was  frequently 
seated  at  the  table  a  quarter  of  an  hour  before  any- 
body else,  he  feared  that  his  absence  on  the  present 
occasion  might  cause  some  surprise ;  therefore,  hav- 
ing no  mind  to  share  his  treasure  with  others,  he 
closed  his  box  with  a  sigh,  and  prepared  to  join  the 
dinner  party.  But  what  was  the  surprise  of  all 
those  assembled,  when  the  door  opened  and  a  large 
white  pig  walked  slowly  into  the  room  and  seated 
himself  with  much  gravity  and  composure  in  the 
place  usually  occupied  by  Wilfrid. 

You  will  already  have  guessed  that  the  pig  was 
no  other  than  Wilfrid  himself,  who,  being  uncon- 
scious of  the  extraordinary  change  in  his  appear- 
ance, was  quite  bewildered  by  the  mingled  screams 
and  laughter  which  greeted  his  entrance.  He  opened 
his  lips  to  demand  the  reason  of  this  rude  behavior, 
but  to  his  astonishment  he  found  he  could  do  noth- 
ing but  grunt.  And  the  farmer  setting  the  exam- 
ple, kicks  and  pokers  were  employed  to  drive  the 
supposed  intruder  from  the  house,  the  door  of  w^hich 
was  slammed  upon  him  so  sharply  that  a  bit  of  his 
tail  was  snapped  off  in  consequence. 

This  painful  circumstance,  coupled  with  his  singu- 
lar voice,  convinced  Wilfrid  of  his  misfortune ;  he 
now  remembered  the  sugar-plum  lines  on  his  box, 
but  consoled  himself  by  the  reflection  that  an  hour 
would  soon  pass  away,  and  that  he  should  then  re- 
sume his  own  shape.  His  troubles,  however,  were 
not  ended  for  that  day. 

Lost  in  his  own  thoughts,  he  was  strolling  gently 
along  the  paths  of  the  garden,  when  John  the  gar- 
dener, perceiving  a  large  white  pig  making  itself 
very  much  at  home  among  his  cabbages  and  let- 
tuces, ran  at  him,  spade  in  hand,  and  drove  him  out 
into  the  village  at  full  trot.     A  score  of  ragged  boys 


A  PIG  FOR  AN  HOUR.  87 

were  then  kind  enough  to  take  an  active  interest  in 
the  chase,  and  between  them  all  the  poor  pig  was 
hunted  up  and  down  with  sticks  and  stones  till  he 
was  almost  ready  to  die  with  heat  and  fatigue. 

When  an  hour  afterward  he  appeared  before  his 
anxious  mother  in  his  own  shape,  but  crimson  from 
his  violent  exercise,  and  panting  for  breath,  his  af- 
fectionate parent  imagined  that  he  must  be  in  a  high 
fever,  and  insisted  on  putting  him  to  bed,  with  a 
mustard  plaster  to  the  soles  of  his  feet,  and  a  black 
draught  for  his  supper. 

Soon  after  this  Wilfrid  determined  to  enjoy  an- 
other feast  from  his  wonderful  chest ;  but  bearing 
in  mind  his  former  misadventures,  he  thought  to 
manage  matters  more  cleverly  on  the  present  occa- 
sion. Having  wished  for  turkey  and  sausages, 
creams,  jellies,  cheese  cakes,  gingerbread,  and  mel- 
ons, he  conveyed  each  dainty,  as  it  appeared,  to  an 
empty  pigsty  in  the  farmyard,  and  then  repaired  to 
that  charming  retreat  to  enjoy  his  repast  in  peace 
and  safety — sagely  observing,  as  he  devoured  his 
meal  with  much  relish,  that  no  one  could  possibly 
evince  much  surprise  should  they  chance  to  catch 
sight  of  him  in  his  present  abode.  Having  made  an 
end  of  all,  he  accordingly  turned  as  quietly  and  com- 
fortably into  a  pig  as  he  could  desire,  and  finding 
his  sty  inconveniently  small,  he  established  himself 
on  a  snug  heap  of  straw  in  a  warm  corner  of  the 
farmyard,  and  was  soon  sound  asleep  and  snoring. 

Now  a  little  black  pig,  who  resided  with  five 
brothers  and  sisters  and  a  tender  mother  in  an  ad- 
jacent sty,  being  of  an  enterprising  disposition, 
chanced  to  wander  to  the  door  of  his  habitation  to 
learn  the  state  of  things  in  general,  and  perceiving 
our  sleeping  hero  on  his  heap  of  straw,  at  first  re- 
treated with  some  precipitation;  but  after  awhile, 


88  A  PIG  FOR  AN  HOUR. 

feeling  reassured  by  the  tranquil  appearance  of  the 
slumbering  stranger,  he  ventured  by  degrees  to  ap- 
proach him,  and  at  last  began  playfully  to  lick  his 
face  and  ears ;  his  example  was  followed  by  his 
brothers  and  sisters,  and  Wilfrid,  starting  from  his 
nap,  found  the  whole  of  the  charming  little  crea- 
tures licking  and  gamboling  over  him  in  the  most 
engaging  manner  possible.  He  had  just  succeeded 
in  freeing  himself  from  the  caresses  of  these  little 
darlings,  when  their  mother,  a  sow  of  venerable  and 
portly  aspect,  issued  forth  to  learn  the  cause  of  the 
unusual  commotion  among  her  little  ones.  But  no 
sooner  had  she  cast  her  eyes  on  Wilfrid  than  she  ex- 
claimed :  "  Can  it  be  ?  yes  it  is ;  it  is  my  long-lost 
brother  Porkus,"  and  flinging  herself  upon  him, 
embraced  him  so  fondly  that,  being  quite  unprepared 
for  so  affectionate  a  relative,  he  tumbled  with  her 
off  his  heap  of  straw,  and  rolled  about  in  the  farm- 
yard puddle  for  some  time  before  he  succeeded  in 
escaping  from  his  very  unpleasant  situation. 

By  this  time  the  hour  was  on  the  point  of  expir- 
ing, and  right  glad  was  he  to  reassume  his  own 
shape  once  more.  At  the  same  moment  he  heard 
his  father  calling  loudly,  "  Wilfrid !  Wilfrid !  " 

''  Here  I  am,  father,"  cried  Wilfrid,  who  being 
happily  ignorant  that  the  traces  of  his  recent  roll  in 
the  farmyard  were  faithfully  transferred  to  his 
blue  jerkin,  made  his  appearance  before  his  parents 
in  such  a  dirty  plight  that  he  received  a  thrashing 
for  his  pains,  such  as  he  was  not  likely  to  forget 
till  the  day  of  his  death. 

You  will  imagine  that  after  all  this  Wilfrid  would 
have  had  enough  and  to  spare  of  his  mischievous 
box ;  but  no  such  thing,  for  he  soon  began  to  long 
more  than  ever  for  another  feast,  and  sought  for  a 
suitable  opportunity  to  indulge  his  wishes.      One 


A  PIG  FOR  AN  HOUR.  89 

day,  his  father  being  absent  at  a  neighboring  fair, 
and  his  mother  busily  engaged  in  household  matters, 
Wilfrid  perceived  the  coast  clear  for  his  purpose ;  he 
therefore  ate  and  drank  his  fill,  and  then  slunk 
quietly  and  unperceived  out  of  the  house,  hoping 
to  escape  observation,  in  the  early  dusk  of  a  winter 
afternoon  ;  he  reckoned,  however,  without  his  host, 
as  you  shall  hear. 

A  butcher  and  his  son  who  had  been  to  the  fair, 
in  quest  of  fat  beasts  for  the  slaughterhouse,  were 
just  then  returning  from  their  expedition  with  very 
scanty  success,  and  casting  their  eyes  on  Wilfrid 
as  he  skulked  along  under  the  hedges,  they  were 
much  struck  by  his  goodly  size  and  excellent  con- 
dition. 

"  This  fellow,"  said  they,  "  is  the  very  pig  for  us, 
and  is  worth  a  long  price,"  They  accordingly  went 
to  every  house  in  the  village  in  order  to  find  out 
the  owner  of  the  fat  white  pig,  but  no  one  claimed 
to  be  its  possessor. 

Things  being  thus,  "  findings  are  havings,"  quoth 
the  butcher  to  his  son,  and  popping  Wilfrid  into 
their  cart,  in  spite  of  his  screams  and  struggles, 
they  drove  of¥  at  full  gallop,  leaving  him  plenty  of 
leisure  to  indulge  his  reflections  in  companv  with  a 
couple  of  calves  and  half  a  dozen  sheep  similarly 
situated. 

Was  ever  boy  in  such  a  plight  ?  His  bristles  rose 
with  horror  as  he  heard  the  butcher  declare  to  his 
son  that  he  should  kill  the  pig  as  soon  as  he  got 
home,  in  order  that  he  might  be  ready  to  cut  up 
early  the  next  day ;  he  even  learned  which  part  of 
himself  was  destined  for  the  spit,  and  which  for 
pickling. 

"  Alas,"  cried  he,  "  if  the  butcher  reach  home 
within  the  next  half  hour  I  am  a  dead  pig.      O 


90  A  PIG  FOR  AN  HOUR. 

mother !  mother !  how  little  do  you  know  that  your 
beautiful  Wilfrid  will  soon  be  nothing  but  a  lifeless 
heap  of  pickled  pork !  "  And  overwhelmed  with 
the  poignancy  of  this  idea,  he  vented  his  lamenta- 
tions in  shrieks  and  grunts  that  would  have  melted 
any  heart  but  that  of  a  butcher. 

Fortunately  for  him  the  butcher's  drive  occupied 
some  time,  and  when,  having  nearly  reached  his 
journey's  end,  he  turned  round  to  look  once  more 
at  his  prize,  he  was  dumfounded  to  perceive  that 
no  pig  was  there,  but  in  its  place  a  fat  boy  in  a  blue 
jerkin,  crying  and  blubbering  as  though  his  heart 
would  break.  At  this  alarming  sight  the  butcher 
and  his  son  were  ready  to  sink  with  terror,  think- 
ing for  certain  that  they  were  bewitched ;  they  there- 
fore began  to  say  their  players  as  fast  as  they  could 
mutter  them,  and  bundling  Wilfrid  neck  and  crop 
out  of  the  cart,  drove  off  with  all  the  speed  they 
could  muster. 

Bruised,  stunned,  and  bleeding  from  the  effects 
of  his  tumble,  poor  Wilfrid  picked  himself  slowly 
up  and  endeavored  to  find  his  way  home ;  but  it  was 
now  quite  dark,  and  he  could  no  longer  discern  the 
road.  Many  mishaps  did  he  meet  with  from  bog 
and  bramble  before,  weary  and  footsore,  he  arrived 
in  the  early  dawn  at  the  door  of  his  own  home, 
where  he  found  a  warm  welcome  waiting  him  from 
his  fond  parents,  who,  distracted  with  grief  at  the 
absence  of  their  darling  child,  had  spent  the  night 
in  searching  for  him  far  and  wide.  Wilfrid  now 
confessed  his  adventures  to  his  father  and  mother, 
and  was  easily  prevailed  upon  by  them  to  bury  his 
unlucky  box  a  hundred  feet  deep  in  the  earth.  You 
will  be  pleased  to  hear  that  his  mishaps  were  not  un- 
attended with  a  good  result ;  and  if,  some  few  years 
after,  you  had  chanced  to  pass  through  the  village 


A  PIG  FOR  AN  HOUR.  91 

where  the  old  farmhouse  stood,  you  could  scarcely 
have  recognized  in  the  handsome,  rosy-cheeked 
young  fellow,  following  his  plow  and  whistling  to 
his  team,  the  once  puffed  and  bloated  face  and  form 
of  Fat  Wilfrid. 


94  AMABEL  AND  THE  CHERRIES. 

from  her  shoulders,  and  she  was  able  to  fly  as  easily 
as  if  she  had  indeed  been  a  bird  or  a  fairy. 

Out  of  the  window  flew  the  fairy,  and  after  her 
went  Amabel,  and  the  pair  never  stopped  flying  till 
they  had  left  the  clouds  behind  them.  Then  Am- 
abel found  herself  in  a  most  beautiful  orchard,  such 
as  could  be  seen  nowhere,  save  in  fairyland.  Fruit 
trees  of  all  descriptions  were  there  in  abundance,  on 
which  danced  hundreds  of  tiny  sprites,  who  seemed 
to  be  mightily  enjoying  themselves.  Oranges, 
apples,  pears,  plums,  and  figs  bowed  down  the  trees 
with  their  ripe  clusters,  and  the  clear  moon  shining 
over  the  branches  made  the  leaves  look  like  pure 
silver.  In  the  midst  of  the  orchard  stood  a  mag- 
nificent tree  laden  with  rich,  ripe,  blackheart 
cherries,  which  evidently  belonged  to  Amabel's  little 
fairy,  who,  perching  on  its  branches,  gayly  invited 
her  companion  to  eat  as  many  cherries  as  she  wished 
for. 

Never  had  Amabel  passed  so  delightful  a  night. 
She  and  the  fairy  eat  and  laughed,  and  danced  and 
sang  in  the  cherry  tree  all  night  long,  but  when  the 
daylight  was  at  hand  the  fairy  said  to  Amabel : 

"  Rosy  streaks  announce  the  dawn — 
Maiden,  thou  must  now  be  gone  ; 
Farewell  to  me,  farewell  to  tliee, 
Vanish  from  the  cherry-tree. ' ' 

And  in  the  space  of  half  a  minute  Amabel  found  her- 
self lying  in  her  own  little  bed  in  her  own  little 
chamber,  which  was  now  faintly  illuminated  by  the 
first  pale  beams  of  the  morning. 

She  would,  doubtless,  have  thought  it  all  a  dream, 
but  when  she  arose  and  looked  at  herself  in  the 
glass,  lo  and  behold  !  her  mouth  was  deeply  stained 


MABEL  AND  THE  CHERRIES.  95 

by  such  a  black  rim  as  nothing  but  an  ample  feast  of 
blackheart  cherries  could  have  left.  "  What  a  fortu- 
nate thing  that  I  have  discovered  this,"  thought 
Amabel,  who  forthwith  commenced  scrubbing  her 
mouth  as  well  as  she  could  with  soap  and  water; 
but,  notwithstanding  all  her  efforts,  no  washing 
would  remove  the  stain  of  the  cherries,  and  at  the 
end  of  an  hour  she  was  forced  to  go  down  to  her 
breakfast  with  the  guilty  mark  upon  her  face  and 
ready  to  sink  with  fear. 

''  What  can  you  have  been  doing  to  your  mouth, 
Amabel  ?  "  was  the  general  exclamation  as  the  un- 
happy little  creature  slunk  into  the  room. 

"  Ah !  you  have  been  eating  the  cherries  from  my 
cupboard,"  cried  her  mother  angrily ;  "  I  missed 
the  key  from  my  pocket  when  I  rose  this  morning, 
and  found  it  in  the  cupboard  door ;  but  I  never 
suspected  you  of  stealing,  though  I  knew  you  to  be 
both  jealous  and  suilen." 

"  Indeed,  indeed,  mamma,  I  have  not  taken  any 
cherries,"  began  Amabel,  but  stopped  in  the  midst 
of  her  speech  and  blushed  very  deeply.  In  the 
meantime  her  mother  produced  from  the  cupboard 
the  basket  which  had  contained  the  cherries,  but 
which  now  was  filled  with  nothing  but  cherrv  stones. 
This,  together  with  the  more  than  suspicious  appear- 
ance of  poor  Amabel's  face,  determined  her  fate. 
She  was  locked  up  in  her  own  room  for  a  week,  and 
had  nothing  to  eat  and  drink  but  bread  and  water ; 
and  when  she  was  once  more  permitted  to  mix  with 
the  family  the  cold  looks  and  constrained  greeting 
of  all  around  her  were  like  daggers  in  the  heart  of 
the  poor  little  girl,  who  felt  that  she  was  henceforth 
to  be  regarded- in  the  light  of  a  thief  and  a  story- 
teller. 

Things  went  on  thus  till  one  unlucky  day,  when  a 


96  AMABEL  AND  THE  CHERRIES. 

delicious  treat  of  freshly  baked  cakes,  enjoyed  by 
Marion,  again  awakened  the  longing  of  her  less 
fortunate  sister.  When  the  cakes  were  locked 
away  in  the  cupboard  Amabel  followed  them  with 
her  eyes,  and  during  all  the  day  she  could  think 
of  nothing  else.  At  night  she  could  not  rest,  and 
while  tossing  sleeplessly  on  her  pillow  the  hour  of 
midnight  struck  from  the  neighboring  church  clock. 
As  the  last  sound  died  away  a  little  voice  by  Am- 
abel's bedside  called  ''  Amabel  !  Amabel  !  "  She 
started  up  and  opened  her  eyes  with  astonishment 
at  seeing  a  pretty  little  man,  a  span  high,  wdth  a 
cotton  nightcap  on  his  head  and  a  white  apron  be- 
fore him.  There  was  no  mistaking  that  he  was  a 
fairy  baker,  even  if  the  floury  state  of  his  tiny  hands 
and  arms  had  not  served  to  confirm  this  idea.  Danc- 
ing about  in  high  glee,  the  little  baker  sang  these 
words: 

**  To  the  fairies'  bakehouse  come, 
Cakes  to  eat,  both  seed  and  plum — 
Almond  cakes  and  ginger  too 
We  will  bake  all  night  for  you. 
Little  mortal,  feast  away, 
Till  the  night  be  turned  to  day." 

"  Oh,  pray  take  me  with  you  at  once,  dear  little 
baker,"  cried  Amabel ;  and  the  little  fellow  taking 
her  hand,  stamped  with  his  foot  upon  the  floor, 
which  immediately  opened  beneath  them,  and  the 
both  sank  several  fathoms  deep  in  the  earth. 

When  Amabel  had  sufficiently  recovered  from 
the  surprise  of  her  journey  to  look  about  her,  she 
perceived  that  she  was  in  a  large  bakehouse  com- 
pletely filled  by  busy  little  bakers,  who  were  baking 
the  most  delicious  cakes  that  can  be  imagined. 
Some  kneaded  the  dough,  others  prepared  the  cur- 


AMABEL  AND  THE  CHERRIES.  97 

rants,  sweetmeats,  and  spices,  and  others  were  con- 
stantly taking  from  the  oven  newly-baked  batches 
of  these  tempting  dainties,  of  which  Amabel's  con- 
ductor (who  was  evidently  the  chief  of  the  bakers, 
from  the  way  in  which  he  ordered  all  the  rest  about) 
pressed  her  to  eat  to  her  heart's  content. 

Thus  the  night  passed  in  the  most  agreeable  man- 
ner possible,  but  when  day  was  at  hand  the  fairy 
said  to  Amabel : 

**  Day  is  come,  work  is  done, 
Little  maiden,  hasten  home." 

And  in  a  trice  Amabel  was  lying  snugly  in  her  little 
bed,  for  all  the  world  as  if  she  had  been  there  all 
night ;  but  when  she  rose  there  were  crumbs  sticking 
to  her  mouth  which  neither  rubbing  nor  scrubbing 
would  remove ;  so  at  last  she  was  forced  to  abandon 
the  attempt,  and  go  down  to  breakfast  in  a  terrible 
fright.  As  soon  as  she  appeared  she  saw  her 
mother  standing  by  the  door  of  the  open  cupboard, 
holding  in  her  hand  the  dish  which  had  yesterday 
been  full  of  cakes,  but  which  now  was  empty  save 
for  a  few  crumbs. 

In  spite  of  Amabel's  tears  and  protestations  she 
was  not  believed.  "  The  wicked  child,"  said  her 
mother,  "  will  persist  in  her  falsehoods,  when  the 
very  crumbs  from  her  feast  remain  upon  her  face  to 
prove  her  guilt." 

The  poor  child,  therefore,  now  fared  worse  than 
ever. 

The  preference  formerly  shown  to  Marion  was 
now  quite  undisguised,  and  Amabel  sometimes  had 
a  hard  struggle  to  prevent  herself  from  showing,  in 
her  behavior  to  her  little  sister,  the  bitterness  which 
continued  injustice  could  not  fail  to  engender  in 


98  AMABEL  AND  THE  CHERRIES. 

her  childish  heart ;  but  she  did  struggle  with  all  her 
generous  and  affectionate  soul,  and  bore  her  trial 
meekly  and  bravely  too. 

Some  time  after  this  a  large  box  of  sweetmeats 
was  sent  as  a  present  to  Amabel  and  Marion  from  a 
kind  uncle.  Amabel  had  been  ailing  for  some  days, 
and  for  that  reason  no  sweetmeats  were  given  to  her, 
though  Marion  as  usual  was  permitted  to  enjoy  the 
treat  which  was  denied  to  her  suffering  sister. 

When  the  box  was  locked  away  in  the  large  cup- 
board, however  Amabel  steadfastly  turned  away 
her  eyes,  and  would  not  permit  a  single  wish  for  the 
sweetmeats  to  disturb  her.  And  when  she  lay  in 
her  little  bed  that  night  she  said  her  prayers  calmly 
and  peacefully,  and  was  soon  sleeping  the  happy 
slumber  of  the  innocent  and  good. 

As  the  clock  struck  twelve  she  was  aroused  by  the 
sound  of  her  own  name,  uttered  in  a  sweet  small 
voice,  such  as  she  had  heard  twice  before,  and  open- 
ing her  eyes  she  saw  a  tiny  creature,  formed  of 
barley  sugar,  jumping  about  on  her  pillow  and  sing- 
ing: 

"  Come  with  me  to  the  Sugar  Cane  Isle, 
And  dwell  with  the  sweetmeat  sprites  a  while  ; 
Sugar  plums  drop  from  the  loaded  trees, 
Citron  and  orange  peel  scent  the  breeze — 
Haste,  then,  to  Sugar  Cane  Isle  away, 
And  feast  till  the  night  be  turned  to  day.'* 

As  he  jumped  about  in  the  joy  of  his  heart,  a 
golden  light  played  through  his  transparent  form, 
and  he  looked  so  tempting  and  delicious  that  it  was 
difficult  for  Amabel  to  restrain  her  desire  of  catch- 
ing him  up  and  eating  him  at  a  mouthful.  She 
therefore  closed  her  eyes,  and  would  not  look  at 
him  again.     So  after  a   while  the   little   creature 


AMABEL  AND  THE  CHERRIES.  99 

took  himself  off  in  a  huff,  and  Amabel  shed  a  few 
quiet  tears  for  the  delights  she  had  lost  in  refusing 
to  accompany  him  to  Sugar  Cane  Isle. 

The  church  clock  soon  after  struck  one,  and  be- 
hold the  cherry-tree  fairy  appeared  by  Amabel's 
bedside  and  sang: 

**  Little  maiden,  come  with  me 
To  the  fairy  cherry  tree  ; 
There  with  me  to  feast  and  play 
Till  the  night  be  turned  to  day." 

But  Amabel  shook  her  head  and  said  to  the  pretty 
sprite,  ''  Xay,  little  fairy,  I  may  not  visit  the  cherry 
tree  to-night;"  and  though  the  fairy  touched  her 
with  her  tiny  hand,  and  did  all  that  she  could  to 
persuade  her,  she  remained  firm  in  her  determina- 
tion, and  the  cherry-tree  fairy  vanished  at  last  in  a 
pet,  without  her  playfellow. 

The  clock  now  struck  two,  and  in  the  same  in- 
stant the  fairy  baker  stood  by  Amabel,  capering 
about  and  singing: 

*'  To  the  fairies'  bakehouse  come, 
Cakes  to  eat,  both  seed  and  plum  ; 
Almond  cakes  and  ginger  too 
We  will  bake  all  night  for  you  ; 
Little  maiden,  with  us  stay. 
Till  the  night  be  turned  to  day." 

But  the  good  child  turned  as  deaf  an  ear  to  the 
baker  as  she  had  done  to  the  others,  and  after  a 
while  he  bustled  off  in  a  very  angry  and  disconsolate 
•state  at  the  ill  success  of  his  endeavors. 

The  clock  now  struck  three,  and  all  at  once  so 
splendid  a  radiance  illumined  the  little  chamber  that 
it  surpassed  the  light  of  noonday.  And  Amabel, 
on  opening  her   eyes,   found  the   room   quite   full 


100  AMABEL  AND  THE  CHERRIES. 

of  sprites  singing  and  rejoicing  like  little  birds  in 
spring-time.  Cherry-tree  fairies,  baker  fairies,  and 
sweetmeat  fairies  were  there  in  multitudes,  but  by 
the  bedside  stood  a  fairy  of  resplendent  beauty, 
taller  by  a  full  inch  than  her  companions,  and  of 
so  lively  and  majestic  an  appearance  that  Amabel 
knew  her  at  once  to  be  no  other  than  the  fairy  queen 
herself.  She  therefore  sprang  from  her  bed  and 
acknowledged  the  honor  of  this  royal  visit  by  kneel- 
ing at  the  feet  of  her  illustrious  guest. 

The  fairy  queen  smiled  kindly  and  graciously 
upon  her,  and  then  sang  as  follows  in  a  voice  re- 
sembling that  of  a  bird  of  paradise : 

**  Fly  with  me,  maiden  of  mortal  mold, 
To  my  bowers  of  light  and  my  halls  of  gold  ; 
Such  blossoms  of  beauty  there  thou'lt  see 
As  beseem  a  royal  gift  to  thee  ; 
Haste,  dearest  maiden,  and  fear  not  me." 

Glancing  upward  at  the  lovely  queen,  and  reading 
in  her  mild  and  serene  aspect  the  encouragement  of 
feeling  that  she  should  be  doing  no  wrong,  Amabel 
declared  her  readiness  to  accompany  her  majesty, 
and  a  blue  and  silver  chariot,  drawn  by  twelve  milk- 
white  doves,  appeared  instantly  through  the  window, 
which  opened  by  its    own  accord  to  admit  it. 

The  fairy  queen  seated  herself  in  this  charming 
equipage,  and  motioned  Amabel  to  take  the  place  by 
her  side ;  and,  as  quick  as  thought,  the  doves  flew 
through  the  air  with  them,  accompanied  by  the 
whole  of  the  fairy  court. 

On  they  went  with  the  speed  of  the  wind,  leav-" 
ing  the  clouds  behind  them,  till  the  chariot  stopped 
before  a  palace  of  pure  gold,  surrounded  by  gardens 
of  such  enchanting  beauty  as  mortal  eye  never  be- 
fore beheld.     Alighting  from  her  chariot,  the  fairy 


AMABEL  AND  THE  CHERRIES.  101 

queen  then  entered  the  palace,  leading  Amabel  by 
the  hand,  and  conducted  hej  J:()  a  .magriif'cejit  ban- 
quet hall  formed  of  pearb  and  emeralds,  where 
they  found  a  sumptuciis  repast  ^>vaiLir\g;lhepj ;  their 
entertainment  being  completed  by  a  rnelodioas  con- 
cert from  the  attendant  fairies,  who  sang  their 
sweetest  songs  to  add  to  the  pleasure  of  their  be- 
loved queen  and  her  mortal  friend.  The  banquet 
being  at  an  end,  the  queen  conducted  Amabel  into 
the  gardens  of  the  palace,  where  flowers  of  all  de- 
scriptions were  blooming  in  great  beauty  and  pro- 
fusion, and  after  passing  through  such  scenes  of 
loveliness  as  I  want  words  to  express,  they  stopped 
before  a  parterre  of  exquisite  blossoms,  around  the 
slender  stems  of  which  hung  golden  labels,  each  of 
which  bore  an  inscription  describing  the  peculiar 
virtues  of  the  flower  it  adorned. 

On  the  rose  was  written  beauty,  on  the  lily  purity, 
on  the  geranium  riches,  on  the  azalea  rank,  and  on 
the  tulip  wit ;  but  peeping  through  its  dark  green 
leaves,  Amabel  spied  a  lovely  violet,  on  which  was 
written : 

"  Who  chooseth  me, 
Beloved  will  be." 

The  queen  then  told  her  that  she  was  free  to 
choose  any  one  of  the  flowers  for  her  own.  And 
Amabel  pondered  for  a  little  space. 

''  I  should  like  to  be  very  beautiful,"  thought  she, 
"  and  rich  and  noble,  and  witty ;  but  all  these  might 
not  win  for  me  the  love  of  my  dear  parents,  and  one 
fond  kiss  from  their  lips  would  be  dearer  to  me  than 
the  admiration  of  the  whole  world  besides.  Dear 
little  violet,  I  will  choose  you ;  ah,  never,  never  may 
I  lose  your  magic  power." 

Now  the  queen  could  by  her  fairy  art  read  all  the 


102  AMABEL  AND  THE  CHERRIES. 

thoughts  which  passed  through  Amabel's  mind,  and 
giving  h<^r  the  violei,  she  alsp  gathered  a  rose,  which, 
unperceived  by  ihe  overjoyed  Httle  maiden,  she 
gently  waved^ovei  her,,and  ai  that  moment  she  be- 
came one  of  the  most  beautiful  little  creatures  on  the 
face  of  the  earth ;  but  she  was  quite  unconscious  of 
this  change  in  her  appearance,  and  the  mild  and 
gentle  modesty  of  her  countenance  remained  unal- 
tered, and  formed  one  of  its  greatest  charms. 

The  little  fairy  sprites,  who  had  been  fluttering 
hither  and  thither  in  a  restless  manner  for  sometime, 
not  daring  to  interrupt  the  royal  conference,  now 
began  to  sing: 

**  Royal  mistress,  liaste  away, 
Ere  the  coming  of  the  day  ; 
See  the  sun  begins  to  rise, 
Tinging  all  the  eastern  skies. 
Rest  we  safe  in  crystal  grot 
Where  the  day  beams  scorch  us  not ; 
Till  the  moon,  so  clear  and  bright, 
Comes  to  tell  us  it  is  night. ' ' 

And  In  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  you,  Amabel 
found  herself  lying  in  her  own  little  bed,  with  her 
precious  violet  clasped  closely  to  her  bosom. 

The  following  morning  everyone  who  approached 
Amabel  was  astonished  by  her  extraordinary  beauty, 
which  they  were  surprised  to  think  that  they  had 
never  before  remarked.  And  as  for  her  father  and 
mother,  they  overwhelmed  her  with  kisses  and  ca- 
resses. 

"  How  gentle,  kind,  and  forgiving  is  our  dar- 
ling Amabel,"  said  they ;  ''  ah  !  that  we  had  sooner 
learned  to  prize  her  as  she  deserves." 

Even  little  Marion  clung  with  greater  fondness 
than  ever  to  her  sister.     And,  thanks  to  her  violet. 


AMABEL  AND  THE  CHERRIES.  103 

the  little  maiden  was  for  the  future  as  valued  and 
beloved  as  she  had  formerly  been  neglected ;  but  the 
fairies  visited  her  nevermore,  though  often,  when 
the  sun  was  shedding  his  parting  beams  over  the 
earth,  she  fancied  she  could  discern  in  mid-air  the 
golden  turrets  of  the  palace  where  she  had  once 
feasted  with  the  fairy  queen,  and  hear  the  song  the 
fairies  had  sung  when  she  left  them : 

*'  Sweet  little  darling  Amabel, 
We  bid  you  now  a  last  farewell  ; 
Never  more,  dear,  will  you  stand 
In  golden  halls  of  fairyland, 
Or  midst  its  radiant  bowers 
Bend  to  gather  sweetest  flowers. 
But  thou  hast  a  fairy  spell 
That  will  serve  thee  long  and  well  : 
Self-denial  gave  thee  power 
To  take  from  us  at  midnight  hour 
The  charm  that  wins  the  gift  of  love — 
A  gift  all  other  boons  above. 
May'st  thou  that  pow'r  securely  keep. 
Adieu,  sweet  child  ;  blest  be  thy  sleep  !  '* 


THE  GOLDEN  COW. 

A  KING  and  queen  chanced  once  upon  a  cime  to 
travel  through  a  gloomy  forest,  accompanied  by 
their  only  child,  the  Princess  Isora,  who,  being  an 
infant  of  tender  age,  was  carried  in  the  arms  of  her 
nurse. 

In  those  days  the  roads  were  so  bad  that  car- 
riages could  not  be  used  except  in  the  immediate 
neighborhood  of  towns  and  cities ;  therefore,  in  so 
wild  a  country,  the  king  and  queen  were  forced  to 
travel  on  horseback,  followed  by  their  attendants 
similarly  mounted,  but  the  infant  princess  and  her 
nurse  were  carried  in  a  litter,  borne  on  the  shoulders 
of  four  men,  and  thus  traveled  at  some  little  dis- 
tance behind  the  rest  of  the  cavalcade.  After  riding 
for  many  hours,  night  began  to  fall  apace,  and  the 
bowlings  of  the  wolves  and  wnld  beasts  which  fre- 
quented the  forest  filled  the  whole  party  with 
affright.  They  galloped  on  as  fast  as  they  could, 
but  all  at  once  a  company  of  hungry  and  savage 
wolves  rushed  out  from  a  neighboring  thicket,  and 
springing  upon  many  of  the  terrified  riders,  tore 
them  from  their  horses  and  devoured  them  limb  by 
limb. 

In  the  fight  which  followed,  some  of  the  fore- 
most of  the  party,  among  whom,  of  course,  were 
the  king  and  queen,  escaped  with  their  lives,  though 
half  dead  with  fright ;  but  the  bearers  of  the  litter 
containing  the  Princess  Isora  and  her  nurse  being 
on  foot,  were  speedily  attacked  and  eaten  by  the 
wolves,  and  the  unfortunate  nurse,  giving  up  all  for 
104 


THE  GOLDEN  COW.  IO5 

lost,  thought  to  gain  a  few  minutes  more  before 
meeting  with  so  Horrid  a  death,  and  throwing  the 
poor  baby  to  the  wolves,  she  ran  off  as  quickly  as 
her  trembling  limbs  could  carry  her,  expecting  every 
moment  to  be  seized  by  the  fierce  pursuers.  By  a 
most  singular  chance  she  succeeded  in  escaping 
from  the  forest  unhurt,  but  when  she  found  herself 
in  safety  she  dared  not  tell  the  unhappy  parents  that 
she  had  cast  their  dear  little  baby  to  the  wolves  in 
order  to  save  herself,  but  said  that  one  of  the  animals 
had  snatched  it  from  her  arms,  and  devoured  it  at  a 
single  mouthful :  so  all  hope  being  over,  the  king  and 
queen  resumed  their  journey  in  the  greatest  afflic- 
tion, and  when  they  reached  their  own  kingdom  the 
whole  court  mourned  for  the  loss  of  the  pretty  prin- 
cess;  and. as  for  the  queen,  she  was  never  seen  to 
smile. 

Xow  a  fairy  who  had  been  present  at  the  princess' 
birth  had  fastened  round  her  neck  a  fine  gold  chain 
of  curious  workmanship,  from  which  was  suspended 
a  small  crown  composed  of  diamonds.  This  chain 
was  a  charm  to  preserve  her  from  a  violent  death ; 
therefore  the  wolves  glutted  their  appetites  on  the 
carcasses  of  the  horses  they  had  slain,  but  did  not 
so  much  as  touch  a  hair  of  the  royal  infant's  head. 
A  shepherd  who  lived  hard  by,  searching  in  the 
forest  for  a  lost  lamb,  discovered  the  poor  little 
baby  the  next  moring,  nearly  perished  with  cold  and 
hunger.  He  took  it  in  his  arms,  and  warming  it 
tenderly  in  his  bosom,  carried  it  home  to  his  wife, 
who  was  equally  astonished  with  himself  at  the  sur- 
prising beauty  of  the  little  girl,  and  also  at  her  sin- 
gular ornament,  which,  with  all  their  eflforts,  they 
could  not  succeed  in  detaching  from  her  neck. 
Having  no  daughter,  they  adopted  the  little  stranger 
as  their  own,  and  brought  her  up  with  their  only 


106  THE  GOLDEN  COW. 

son,  a  boy  of  some  three  years  old,  named  Amyntas. 

The  fine  linen  in  which  the  little  princess  was 
wrapped  when  the  shepherd  found  her  was  em- 
broidered with  her  name  and  the  royal  arms,  which 
convinced  the  good  man  and  his  wife  that  their  little 
nursling  was  of  royal  birth,  but  they  lived  in  so 
lonely  a  place  that  they  could  gain  no  intelligence  of 
her  parents,  though  they  did  not  hesitate  to  tell  the 
little  maiden  their  suspicions  of  her  real  parentage. 
Accordingly,  Isora  became  very  proud  and  haughty, 
and  when  her  playfellow  Amyntas  called  her  sister, 
she  would  say,  "  I  am  a  king's  daughter,  Amyntas, 
and  princesses  do  not  call  peasant  boys  brother," 
which  grieved  poor  Amyntas  sadly,  for  he  loved  her 
very  tenderly,  and  there  was  nothing  in  the  world 
he  would  not  have  done  to  give  her  pleasure. 

As  Isora  grew  up  she  was  so  fair  and  lovely  to 
behold  that  nothing  like  her  had  ever  been  seen,  and 
all  the  young  men  of  the  villages  round  about  used 
to  flock  to  the  shepherd's  cottage,  only  to  obtain  a 
glimpse  of  her.  Isora,  however,  treated  them  all 
with  the  greatest  disdain  ;  and  whenever  any  of  them 
ventured  to  ask  her  hand  at  the  village  dances,  she 
would  reply,  "  I  will  dance  with  no  one  but 
Amyntas." 

Yet  Amyntas,  though  favored  thus  far,  was  not 
very  successful  in  his  wooing  of  the  proud  princess, 
for  to  all  his  entreaties  that  she  would  be  his  wife, 
Isora  would  reply,  ''  Princesses  do  not  wed  with 
peasants ;"  an  answer  which  caused  him  the  great- 
est affliction. 

Nevertheless  his  love  for  the  cruel  beauty  was  so 
great  that  he  never  ceased  to  entreat  her,  till  wear- 
ied by  his  importunity  she  one  day  said,  "  I  have 
dreamed  for  three  nights  running  that  a  beautiful 
golden  cow  came  to  me  and  said,  '  Pretty  princess, 


THE  GOLDEN  COW.  107 

take  hold  of  my  golden  horns,  and  mount  upon  my 
back,  and  I  will  carry  you  home  to  the  kingdom  of 
your  royal  parents.'  Bring  me  this  cow,  Amyntas, 
and  I  will  be  your  wife." 

Then  Amyntas  grew  very  sorrowful  at  these 
words,  and,  forsaking  his  companions,  he  neither 
ate,  slept,  nor  worked,  but  spent  all  his  days  and 
nights  in  wandering  about  the  woods  and  fields, 
sighing  and  lamenting  his  hard  fate. 

One  day,  having  wandered  further  than  usual 
from  home,  he  came  to  a  desolate-looking  plain,  in 
the  midst  of  which  flowed  a  dark  and  lonely  river, 
and  being  fatigued  by  his  long  walk,  he  sac  himself 
down  to  rest  a  while  on  a  large  stone.  As  he  did 
so  he  perceived  a  little  one-eyed  dwarf,  of  very 
singular  appearance,  working  away  with  pickax  and 
shovel  at  a  large  heap  of  stones  and  ashes  which 
stood  by  the  riverside. 

The  little  manikin  did  not  appear  to  notice  Amyn- 
tas, but  dug  away  as  busily  as  possible,  carrying 
shovelful  after  shovelful  of  the  stones  and  ashes, 
and  throwing  them  into  the  river ;  but  the  strangest 
part  of  the  business  was,  that  for  every  spadeful  he 
threw  away  two  more  appeared  to  be  added  to  the 
heap,  which  therefore  grew  higher  and  higher  the 
harder  he  worked.  As  he  dug,  the  little  fellow 
sang  these  words  in  a  small  shrill  voice : 

'*  Into  the  water  the  ashes  throw, 
For  one  spade  thrown  two  more  will  grow  ; 
Dig,  dig  away,  for  one  year  and  a  day. 
Who  digs  for  a  year  and  a  day,  I  ween, 
Shall  behold  the  cow  of  golden  sheen." 

"  Say  you  so,  my  little  friend  ?  "  quoth  Amyn- 
tas. "  Give  me  your  pickax  and  shovel,  and  I  will 
work  for  you  one  year  and  a  day." 


108  THE  GOLDEN  COW. 

Without  more  ado  the  one-eyed  dwarf  handed 
him  his  tools,  and  was  for  going  off  without  an- 
other word,  but  Amyntas  said  :  ''  How  shall  I  find 
the  golden  cow  when  I  have  worked  a  year  and  a 
day  ?  " 

Then  the  little  man  lifted  up  his  c.  icked  voice  and 
Bang  : 

"  Dig  through  the  stones  and  ashes  deep 
And  a  golden  ring  through  the  earth  will  peep 
Whichtwill  open  the  door  beneath  the  heap." 

He  then  hobbled  off  apparently  highly  delighted 
at  getting  his  work  done  for  him  so  readily. 

Left  to  himself,  Amyntas  dug  away  with  right 
good-will  ;  indeed,  so  hard  did  he  work  that  by 
nightfall  the  heap  was  higher  than  his  father's  cot- 
tage. He  rose  betimes  next  morning,  and  taking 
food  and  drink  with  him  to  last  him  three  days,  he 
worked  so  well  that  at  the  end  of  that  time  the  heap 
was  a  good-sized  hillock.  And  this  he  did  for  many 
weeks,  till  at  last  it  was  almost  half  a  day's  journey 
to  get  to  the  top  of  his  heap  before  he  could  begin  his 
work,  so  that  he  went  home  only  one  day  in  seven. 
All  this  timic  the  good  shepherd  and  his  wife  thought 
that  Amyntas  had  surely  taken  leave  of  his  senses, 
and  he  was  the  laughing-stock  of  the  village  ;  but 
Isora  did  Bot  cease  to  say  :  "^  Bring  me  the  golden 
cow  and  I  will  be  your  wife." 

It  was  very  hard  and  dreary  toil,  and  often  the 
heart  of  poor  Amyntas  would  sink  within  him  as  he 
beheld  the  heap  growing  higher  and  higher,  and 
found  himself  apparently  further  than  ever  from  the 
road  which  was  to  conduct  him  to  the  golden  cow  ; 
but  for  the  love  of  his  princess  he  toiled  on  all  day 
and  almost  all  night,  till,  at  the  end  of  six  months 


THE  GOLDEN  COW.  109 

from  the  time  of  his  commencement,  he  perceived 
that  for  every  shovelful  which  he  dug  away  another 
went  along  with  it,  so  that  the  heap  began  to  get 
smaller  as  fast  as  it  had  before  increased. 

He  now  labored  on  cheerfully,  and  at  the  end  of 
the  year  and  a  day  he  perceived,  to  his  great  joy, 
a  golden  ring  shining  through  the  earth.  He 
seized  it  and  found  that  it  was  attached  to  a  trap- 
door in  the  ground,  which  he  pulled  open,  and  a 
flight  of  steps  were  disclosed,  down  which  Amyn- 
tas  descended  with  a  beating  heart,  and  found  him- 
self in  a  charming  meadow,  in  the  midst  of  which 
stood  a  beautiful  cow  of  purest  gold.  Intoxicated 
with  delight  at  the  sight  of  this  object  of  his  wishes, 
he  sprang  forward  to  seize  it,  but  before  he  could 
reach  it  he  felt  himself  whirled  into  the  air  by  a 
strong  wind,  and  the  next  moment  he  was  standing 
on  the  earth  in  the  self-same  spot  where  he  had 
been  working  for  the  last  twelve  months ;  but  no 
sign  of  the  trapdoor  was  to  be  seen,  only  a  large 
heap  of  stones  and  ashes,  and  the  little  one-eyed 
dwarf  digging  away  for  all  the  world  as  if  he  had 
never  left  off  since  the  unlucky  young  man  had  first 
beheld  him. 

"  How  now,  you  ill-favored  little  miscreant," 
cried  Amyntas,  half-choked  with  rage  and  mor- 
tification at  this  provoking  sight ;  "  I  will  break 
every  bone  in  your  misshapen  body  if  you  do  not 
keep  your  promise." 

There  was  no  reply,  and  Amyntas,  in  a  tower- 
ing passion,  seized  the  little  man  by  his  throat  and 
shook  him  till  his  one  red  eye  threatened  to  start 
out  of  his  head.  Yet  the  little  fellow  did  not  seem 
the  least  concerned,  but  shook  off  the  rough  grasp 
of  his  companion  as  composedly  as  possible,  and 


110  THE  GOLDEN  COW. 

resumed  his  work,   singing  in  his   shrill,   cracked 
voice  these  words : 

**  Into  the  water  the  ashes  throw, 
For  one  spade  thrown  two  more  will  grow  ; 
Dig  away,  dig  away,  one  year  and  a  day. 
"Who  digs  for  a  year  and  a  day,  I  ween, 
Shall  milk  the  cow  of  golden  sheen. ' ' 

"  Milk  it  yourself,"  quoth  the  young  man  sulkily, 
and  strode  home  in  a  very  angry  and  disconsolate 
state. 

The  Princess  Isora  was  waiting  for  him  at  the 
door  of  the  cottage,  for  he  had  told  her  he  would 
certainly  bring  her  home  the  golden  cow  that  even- 
ing ;  and  when  she  saw  him  return  alone  she  became 
very  angry,  and  would  listen  to  no  explanation ; 
therefore,  Amyntas  bethought  himself  that,  after  all, 
he  had  better  work  for  the  one-eyed  dwarf  another 
year.  Who  knows,  thought  he,  but  that  if  I  may 
approach  the  cow  near  enough  to  milk  her,  I  may 
succeed  this  time  in  catching  her.  Comforted  by 
the  hope,  he  trudged  to  the  scene  of  his  former 
labors,  and  there  stood  the  stones  and  ashes,  and  the 
busy  little  manikin  digging  away  like  one  possessed, 
all  the  time  singing  his  ditty : 

"  Into  the  water  the  ashes  throw, 
For  one  spade  thrown  two  more  will  grow  ; 
Dig  away,  dig  away,  a  year  and  a  day. 
Who  digs  one  year  and  a  day,  I  ween, 
Shall  milk  the  cow  of  golden  sheen." 

"  Give  me  the  pickax  and  the  shovel,"  said  Amyn- 
tas, "  and  I  will  work  for  you  yet  another  year  and  a 
day." 

No  sooner  said  than  done.     Away  hobbled  the 


THE  GOLDEN  COW.  m 

dwarf,  and  to  work  poor  Amyntas  went  in  his 
place. 

All  happened  just  as  before,  and  at  the  end  of  the 
appointed  time  the  golden  ring  appeared  through 
the  earth ;  but  when  Amyntas  opened  the  trapdoor 
and  descended  into  the  meadow,  an  ivory  stool  and 
a  silver  milking-pail  stood  by  the  side  of  the  golden 
cow.  Amyntas,  seating  himself  on  the  stool,  began 
to  milk  the  cow ;  but  what  was  his  wonder  and  de- 
light when,  instead  of  milk,  shining  gold  fell  into 
the  pail.  He  milked  the  pail  quite  full,  and  then 
thought  to  lead  away  the  cow ;  but  the  moment  he 
touched  her  for  that  purpose  he  was  whirled,  as  be- 
fore, into  the  air,  and  once  more  stood  by  the  river 
brink,  but  with  his  pail  of  gold  by  his  side. 

The  ashes  and  stones  were  standing  on  the  very 
spot  whence  he  had  descended  through  the  trap- 
door, and  there,  too,  was  his  old  friend  the  dwarf 
working  and  singing  as  merrily  as  ever. 

Amyntas  did  not  stay  to  listen  to  the  dwarf's 
song,  but  hurried  home  as  fast  as  his  legs  could 
carry  him,  and  flung  his  riches  with  sparkling  eyes 
before  Isora  and  his  parents.  As  for  the  latter, 
they  overwhelmed  him  with  caresses  and  praise. 

"  Ah,"  said  they,  '"  the  good  neighbors  said  that 
Amyntas  was  mad,  but  some  folk's  madness  is 
wiser  than  other  folk's  sense,  and  for  our  parts, 
we  always  thought  our  son  was  a  wise  youth." 

But  Isora  was  not  tempted  by  the  wealth  of 
Amyntas,  and  to  all  his  entreaties  she  returned  the 
same  answer:  "I  will  never  be  your  wife  till  you 
bring  me  home  the  golden  cow." 

''  Poor  Amyntas  saw  no  help  for  it,  and  once  more 
was  fain  to  seek  his  old  acquaintance,  the  one-eyed, 
dwarf,  whose  ditty  now  ran — 


112  The  golden  cow. 

*•  Into  the  water  the  ashes  throw, 
For  one  spade  thrown  two  more  will  go  ; 
Who  works  for  me  days  and  nights  three, 
Shall  bear  the  bride  to  her  own  countrie  ; 
Work,  work  away,  by  night  and  by  day, 
And  carry  the  golden  cow  away." 

Therefore  Amyntas  set  to  work  with  a  lighter 
heart,  and  for  every  spadeful  he  threw  away  two 
more  went  with  it,  but  he  was  so  weary  of  his  work 
that  the  three  days  and  nights  seemed  as  though 
they  would  never  end. 

At  last  the  golden  ring  appeared  to  his  long- 
ing eyes,  and  when  he  descended  into  the  meadow 
there  stood  the  beautiful  golden  cow  decked  with 
wreaths  of  flowers  and  evergreens  to  welcome  him. 

She  did  not  wait  to  be  sought,  but  hastening  up 
to  Amyntas,  knelt  down  for  him  to  mount  on  her 
back,  and  he  had  no  sooner  done  so  than  he  found 
himself,  cow  and  all,  safely  landed  by  the  river 
brink,  but  no  heap  of  stones  and  ashes  was  to  be 
seen ;  neither  was  the  dwarf  visible,  only  Amyntas 
heard  a  shrill,  cracked  little  voice,  which  could  have 
belonged  to  no  one  else,  singing  these  words  as  he 
rode  home — 

**  Stones  and  ashes  are  shoveled  away, 
And  the  golden  cow  is  won  ; 
Rejoice  and  feast  by  night  and  by  day. 
And  carry  the  princess  home." 

When  Amyntas  brought  the  cow  to  Isora  she 
thanked  him  a  thousand  times,  and  throwing  her 
arms  around  his  neck,  she  said :  ''  I  will  now  con- 
sent to  be  your  bride,  but  let  us  first  seek  my  dear 
parents." 

She  then  mounted  on  the  cow's  back  behind 
Amyntas,  and  the  beautiful  animal  carried  them 
safely  to  the  kingdom  of  Isora's  father  and  mother. 


THE  GOLDEN  COW.  113 

When  they  entered  the  city  the  good  people  ran 
out  open-mouthed  with  wonder  at  the  sight  of  a 
handsome  youth  and  a  lovely  maiden  riding  on  a 
golden  cow,  and  the  king  and  queen  came  to  the  pal- 
ace windows  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  all  the  shout- 
ing and  excitement ;  but  when  the  cow  had  reached 
the  palace  gates  it  stopped  of  its  own  accord  and 
related  the  whole  wonderful  story  of  the  Princess 
Isora  to  her  astonished  parents,  who,  when  they  had 
looked  at  the  gold  chain  around  her  neck,  knew  her 
instantly  to  be  their  long-lost  child,  and  falling  on 
her  neck  embraced  her  with  great  tenderness.  As 
for  Amyntas,  the  king  declared  that  no  one  was  so 
worthy  as  he  to  obtain  the  princess'  hand ;  and  noth- 
ing being  wanted  but  the  presence  of  the  worthy 
shepherd  and  his  wife  to  complete  the  general  hap- 
piness, the  golden  cow  was  dispatched  to  seek  them, 
and  on  their  arrival  at  the  court  the  wedding  was 
celebrated  with  great  splendor  and  rejoicing. 

The  young  couple  lived  happily  forever  after, 
the  golden  cow  never  ceasing  to  supply  them  with 
riche*. 


THE  SILVER  DOG  AND  HIS  PUPPIES. 

Two  pretty  young  sisters  named  Constantia  and 
Katharina  put  on  their  bonnets  and  cloaks  one 
fine  morning,  and  taking  their  brother,  little  Tom- 
lin,  by  the  hand,  set  out  for  a  walk  through  the 
gay  and  crowded  streets  of  the  city  in  which  they 
dwelt. 

Many  were  the  tempting  wares  displayed  in  the 
shop  windows  which  by  turns  attracted  the  long- 
ing gaze  of  the  brother  and  sisters.  Now,  it  was 
a  fine  doll,  now  a  sparkling  bracelet,  or  a  costly 
dress  of  lace  or  satin,  which  filled  the  hearts  of  the 
two  girls  with  a  vain  desire  of  possession.  Tomlin 
had  for  his  part  no  eyes  to  spare  from  a  fine  dapple- 
gray  rocking-horse  which  graced  the  entrance  of  a 
handsome  toy  shop,  and  which  seemed  to  him  capa- 
ble of  rendering  its  future  owner  happier  than  a 
prince.  Having  looked  and  longed  till  they  felt 
some^vhat  weary  and  discontented,  the  three  chil- 
dren at  last  turned  their  footsteps  toward  home ;  but 
their  walk  was  not  destined  to  end  without  an  adven- 
ture, for  when  they  were  almost  within  sight  of 
their  own  dwelling  they  were  met  by  a  silver  dog, 
who  jumped  upon  and  caressed  them  in  the  most 
afifectionate  manner  possible. 

This  pretty  little  creature  was  scarcely  larger 
than  a  squirrel ;  his  two  bright  eyes  shone  like  dia- 
monds through  the  clouds  of  silver  hair  which  hung 
over  his  face,  and  in  his  mouth  he  carried  a  silver 
basket.  Constantia,  who,  being  the  eldest  of  the 
114 


THE  SILVER  DOG  AND  HIS  PUPPIES.        115 

three,  of  course  spoke  first  on  all  occasions,  ad- 
dressed the  silver  dog  thus : 

"  Silver  dog,  silver  dog,  tell  me,  I  pray, 
Wherefore  you  wander  here  to-day  ; 
Friendless  and  houseless  if  hither  you  roam, 
Dear  little  doggy,  pray  follow  me  home." 

But  the  dog  replied : 

*'  In  a  hole  of  the  wall  my  dwelling  I  make, 
My  silver  puppies  I  cannot  forsake  ; 
Four  silver  puppies  they  wait  for  me. 
Cold  and  hungry  as  they  can  be. 
Ah  !  fill  my  basket  with  bread  and  with  meat. 
For  weary  to-day  are  my  tiny  feet. ' ' 

Constantia  answered : 

**  Dear  little  silver  dog,  have  no  fear, 
Follow  me  home  to  my  dwelling  near, 
Bread  and  meat  you  shall  have  good  store 
Then  hie  away  home  to  your  puppies  four. ' ' 

Whereupon  the  silver  dog  turned  his  tail  over 
his  back,  and  followed  the  children  gladly  and  with- 
out suspicion. 

As  they  walked  along  Constantia  pulled  Kath- 
erina  by  the  sleeve,  and  said  to  her: 

"  One  does  not  meet  with  a  silver  dog  every  day ; 
therefore  we  must  not  let  him  go  as  I  have  prom- 
ised." 

"  True,  sister,"  replied  the  other ;  ''  we  cannot 
be  expected  to  give  up  such  a  prize,  and  must  do 
all  we  can  to  induce  him  to  remain  with  us." 

*'  Leave  all  to  me,"  answered  Constantia,  "  and 
do  not  fear  that  I  shall  let  him  escape." 

Tomlin,  overhearing  this  conversation,  did  not  at 
all  relish  the  idea  of  gaining  possession  of  the  dog 


116        THE  SILVER  DOG  AND  HIS  PUPPIES. 

so  treacherously,  and  declared  his  intention  of  giv- 
ing him  fair  notice  of  what  he  had  discovered ;  but 
Constantia  said  to  him  angrily : 

''  You  are  a  little  simpleton,  Tomlin,  who  will 
never  know  how  many  blue  beans  make  five ;"  and 
she  and  Katherina  pinched  his  arms  so  hard  that  he 
was  forced  to  hold  his  peace,  much  against  his 
will. 

On  arriving  at  their  own  door  Constantia  invited 
the  silver  dog  into  her  chamber,  saying: 

"  Rest  you  a  while  in  my  pretty  white  bed, 
While  your  basket  I  fill  with  meat  and  with  bread. " 

But  no  sooner  had  he  crossed  the  threshold  than 
Constantia  turned  the  key  in  the  lock,  and  laughing 
at  his  dismay,  told  him  that  never  more  should  he 
leave  his  present  quarters,  but  remain  with  her, 
henceforth  to  be  her  own  little  silver  dog  and  the 
darling  of  her  heart.  At  this  the  silver  dog  com- 
menced crying  very  piteously,  and  begged  and  en- 
treated with  all  the  eloquence  at  his  command  for 
permission  to  return  to  his  four  silver  puppies. 
Constantia,  nevertheless,  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  his 
complaints,  and  sitting  down  to  her  spinning,  sang 
a  merry  song  to  drown  his  murmurs. 

After  a  while  the  little  animal  ceased  crying,  and 
approaching  Constantia,  said  to  her: 

"  A  gown  of  satin,  so  smooth  and  fair, 
And  a  chaplet  of  pearl  for  your  golden  hair, 
These  you  shall  have,  and  my  thanks  withal, 
If  you  let  me  return  to  my  home  in  the  wall." 

Now  it  happened  that  there  was  nothing  in  the 
world  which  Constantia  so  much  wished  for  as  a 
white  satin  gown  and  a  pearl  coronet.     Her  eyes 


THE  SILVER  DOG  A^'D  HIS  PUPPIES.        117 

sparkled  with  the  hope  of  possessing  such  treasures, 
but  looking  at  the  dimunitive  creature  who  offered 
them  to  her.  she  could  scarcely  forbear  laughing  at 
her  own  folly. 

"  You  talk  nonsense,  you  foolish  little  dog,"  said 
she ;  "  what  have  you  to  do  with  satin  and  pearls  ?  " 

Then  the  dog  made  answer : 

"  Doubt  not  my  power,  my  fair  young  maid, 
Quickly  I'll  do  what  I've  sworn  and  said  ; 
Three  golden  hairs  in  my  tail  you'll  find. 
Scatter  them  each  to  a  separate  wind, 
North,  east,  and  west,  you  must  blow  them  away 
And  a  treasure  rare  will  your  task  repay." 

On  which  Constantia,  looking  at  the  dog's  tail, 
perceived  amid  the  silver  hairs  three  hairs  of  purest 
gold.  One  she  blew  to  the  north,  another  to  the 
east,  and  a  third  to  the  west,  and  in  an  instant  there 
lay  upon  the  bed  a  lovely  dress  of  glossy  white  satin 
and  a  tiara  of  Oriental  pearl.  Constantia  now  has- 
tened to  fill  the  dog's  basket  with  ample  store  both 
of  bread  and  meat,  whereupon  he  made  her  the 
politest  bow  imaginable,  and  turning  his  tail  joy- 
fully over  his  back  hastened  home  to  his  four  pup- 
pies, who  no  doubt  gave  him  a  hearty  welcome. 
When  Katherina  and  Tomlin  learned  that  the  silver 
dog  had  departed  they  were  much  grieved,  and 
Katherina  for  her  part  was  not  sparing  of  angry 
reproaches  to  Constantia  for  her  selfishness  in  part- 
ing with  the  pretty  creature  only  for  her  own  ad- 
vantage. Constantia  excused  herself  as  well  as  she 
could,  and  patched  up  the  matter  by  promising  that 
Katherina  should  be  the  dog's  mistress  if  they  were 
ever  so  fortunate  as  to  gain  the  possession  of  him 
again,  and  though  this  did  not  seem  verv  probable, 
Katherina  was  fain  to  content  herself  with  the  hope. 


118        THE  SILVER  DOG  AND  HIS  PUPPIES. 

A  few  days  elapsed  without  anything  being  heard 
or  seen  of  the  silver  dog,  but  returning  from  a  walk 
one  evening  Tomlin  and  his  sisters  at  last  caught 
sight  of  the  little  fellow,  trotting  along  just  as  be- 
fore, with  his  basket  in  his  mouth,  in  search,  no 
doubt,  of  provisions  for  his  puppies.  It  was  now 
Katherina's  turn  to  accost  him,  and  accordingly  she 
assumed  a  fascinating  smile  and  addressed  him 
in  these  words : 

*'  Silver  dog,  silver  dog,  tell  me,  I  pray, 
Wherefore  you  wander  here  to-day  ; 
Friendless  and  houseless  if  hither  you  roam, 
Dear  little  doggy,  pray  follow  me  home." 

To  which  the  dog  replied : 

**  In  a  hole  of  the  wall  my  dwelling  I  make, 
My  silver  puppies  I  cannot  forsake  ; 
Four  silver  puppies  they  wait  for  me, 
Cold  and  hungry  as  they  can  be. 
Ah  !  fill  my  basket  with  bread  and  with  meat. 
For  weary  to-day  are  my  tiny  feet." 

Katherina  then  made  answer: 

*'  Dear  little  silver  dog,  have  no  fear, 
Follow  me  home  to  my  dwelling  near. 
Bread  and  meat  you  shall  have  withal. 
Then  hie  away  home  to  your  hole  in  the  wall." 

Upon  which  the  dog  turned  his  tail  over  his  back 
and  followed  Katherina  and  her  companions  to  their 
dwelling.  When  they  had  reached  home  the  young 
girl  said  to  the  dog : 

*'  Rest  you  a  while  in  my  pretty  white  bed, 
While  your  basket  I  fill  with  meat  and  with  bread." 


THE  SILVER  DOG  AND  HIS  PUPPIES.        119 

And  the  credulous  little  creature  accompanied  her 
upstairs  into  her  own  room,  where  she  at  once  se- 
cured him  by  shutting  and  locking  the  door.  When 
the  silver  dog  perceived  that  he  was  a  prisoner  he 
began  to  cry  and  to  moan  as  though  his  heart  would 
break.  ''  Alas  !  "  said  he,  "  my  four  silver  puppies 
will  die  of  cold  and  hunger  in  my  absence."  But 
as  Katherina  paid  no  heed  to  his  entreaties,  after  a 
while  he  desisted,  and  approaching  her,  said : 

"  Maiden,  I'll  give  you  a  treasure  rare, 
A  waxen  doll  so  fine  and  so  fair. 
With  raiment  and  jewels  an  ample  store, 
If  you  let  me  return  to  my  puppies  four."- 

Now  Katherina  had  the  greatest  possible  wish  for 
a  fine  wax  doll,  as  the  cunning  little  dog  no  doubt 
knew  perfectly  well ;  but  looking  down  at  him,  she 
thought  to  herself,  surely  such  a  tiny  creature  as 
that  cannot  bestow  what  he  promises.  Guessing, 
however,  what  was  passing  in  her  mind,  the  silver 
dog  said : 

•'  Doubt  not  my  power,  my  fair  young  maid, 
Quickly  I'll  do  what  I've  sworn  and  said  ; 
In  my  right  ear  three  gold  hairs  you'll  find, 
Scatter  them  each  to  a  separate  wind, 
North,  east,  west,  you  must  blow  them  away, 
And  a  fine  wax  doll  will  your  task  repay." 

Katherina  accordingly  looked  into  the  dog's  right 
ear,  where  she  found  the  three  golden  hairs,  and 
blowing  them  to  the  north,  east,  and  west,  as  the  dog 
had  directed,  a  large  and  beautiful  wax  doll  instantly 
made  her  appearance,  seated  in  an  armchair  of  gold 
and  ivorv,  and  accompanied  by  several  tiny  boxes 
and  cases  made  also  of  gold  and  ivory,  containing 
the  most  charming  collection  of  doll's  clothes  that 


120        THE  SILVER  DOG  AND  HIS  PUPPIES. 

Katherina  had  ever  beheld.  The  undergarments 
were  all  of  the  finest  lawn,  edged  with  delicate  lace 
and  embroidery.  The  dresses  and  mantles  of  lace, 
satin,  and  velvet  were  of  the  newest  and  most  costly 
fashions,  and  the  little  silver-mounted  dressing  case 
contained  several  sets  of  dolls'  jewels,  and  all  perfect 
models  of  fine  workmanship  and  skill. 

Katherina  now  embraced  and  thanked  the  silver 
dog  a  thousand  times,  and  filling  his  basket  with  no 
sparing  hand  bade  him  depart  to  his  puppies  with- 
out delay ;  therefore,  turning  his  tail  over  his  back 
he  made  his  adieux  as  hastily  as  was  consistent  with 
good  breeding,  and  trotted  home  as  fast  as  his  little 
legs  could  carry  him. 

It  was  now  Tomlin's  part  to  feel  somewhat  dis- 
appointed at  the  dog's  release,  and  though  too  gentle 
to  reproach  Katherina,  yet  when  he  looked  at  his 
sister's  magnificent  gifts  he  could  not  forbear  think- 
ing. Ah  !  if  the  silver  dog  had  but  given  me  the 
dapple-gray  rocking-horse  I  should  not  have  regret- 
ted his  loss  so  much. 

Not  long,  however,  was  Tomlin  destined  to  wait 
without  a  share  of  good  fortune  equal  to  the  others. 
The  silver  dog  met  him  one  evening  when  he  had 
almost  relinquished  the  hope  of  ever  seeing  the  little 
animal  again,  and  perceiving  how  weary  the  poor  fel- 
low looked,  Tomlin  had  not  the  heart  to  deceive  him 
with  false  promises,  but,  patting  him  tenderly  on  the 
head  filled  his  basket  with  some  cakes  which  he  was 
carrying  home  to  his  sisters,  and  bade  him  depart  to 
his  puppies  in  peace  and  safety.  Whereupon,  wag- 
ging his  tail  with  grateful  affection,  the  pretty  crea- 
ture said: 


"  Dear  little  Tomlin,  ere  I  depart, 
I'll  give  you  a  proof  of  my  grateful  heart. 


THE  SILVER  DOG  xVND  IILS  PUPPIES.        121 

In  my  left  ear  three  gold  hairs  you'll  find  ; 
Scatter  them  each  to  a  separate  wind, 
North,  east,  west,  you  must  blow  them  away, 
And  behold  the  steed  of  a  dapple  gray." 

Tomlin  joyfully  did  as  the  dog  requested,  and  was 
rewarded  by  the  instant  appearance  of  a  fine  wooden, 
dapple-gray  horse,  far  more  wonderful  and  beau- 
tiful than  the  rocking-horse  he  had  so  much  desired 
to  have,  inasmuch  as  it  pranced  and  curveted  as 
gayly  as  a  living  steed,  but  possessed  the  advantage 
of  requiring  neither  stable,  groom,  nor  provender. 

The  dog  did  not  wait  to  be  thanked,  but  while 
Tomlin  was  engaged  in  admiring  his  horse,  ran 
home  to  his  puppies  with  his  basket  of  cakes. 

Not  a  little  surprised  were  Constantia  and  Kath- 
erina  when  Tomlin  galloped  home  on  his  fine  dap- 
ple-gray charger,  around  whose  neck  hung  silver 
bells,  which  rang  out  a  charming  melody  that  filled 
the  heart  with  merriment.  Xot  being  insensible 
to  the  great  benefits  they  had  received  from  the  dog, 
our  three  young  friends  resolved  to  seek  out  his 
retreat  and  prove  their  gratitude  by  a  daily  supply 
of  provisions  for  himself  and  his  puppies.  Xo 
trace,  however,  could  they  find  of  any  place  answer- 
ing to  the  silver  dog's  description  of  his  dwelling, 
neither  did  they  ever  again  meet  with  the  little  ani- 
mal himself. 

"  Ah  !  sisters,"  said  little  Tomlin,  *'  the  silver 
dog  has  doubtless  gained  wisdom  by  experience, 
and  if  he  has  any  more  golden  hairs  at  his  disposal 
has  learned  to  employ  them  for  the  benefit  of  his 
puppies,  and  no  longer  scatters  them  abroad  for  a 
few  scraps  of  bread  and  meat." 


THE    LUMBER    ROOM. 
I. 

THE  LUMBER  ROOM. 

There  were  once  two  children,  whose  names  were 
William  and  Sarah,  but  they  were  better  known  as 
Bill  and  Sally.  In  many  ways  they  were  sensible 
children,  but  about  one  thing  they  were  dreadfully 
stupid — they  did  not  believe  in  the  Man  in  the 
Moon. 

One  day  they  were  left  at  home  alone,  as  their 
parents  had  to  pay  a  visit  a  long  way  off,  and  these 
children  set  to  work  to  play  as  busily  as  possible ; 
they  played  till  dinner-time,  and  as  soon  as  dinner 
was  over  they  began  to  play  again.  At  last  they 
thought  of  a  splendid  new  game,  which  was  to  make 
a  real  toy  shop,  and  see  how  all  their  toys  would 
look  when  put  together ;  so  they  hunted  about,  and 
brought  the  dolls,  and  a  wheelbarrow,  and  a  drum, 
a  clockwork  mouse,  a  printing  press,  and  plenty 
more  things,  because,  being  spoiled  children,  they 
had  no  end  of  toys  of  every  kind. 

Well,  when  it  was  done  it  looked  splendid,  and 
the  children  began  to  play  at  the  shop.  Bill  was 
shopman  first,  and  Sally  was  lots  of  people  coming 
to  buy ;  and  the  way  they  played  was,  for  Sally  to 
buy  all  the  toys  and  put  them  at  her  end  of  the  room, 
and  then  Bill  would  come  and  buy  them  all  back 
again. 

You  can  imagine  what  a  nice  game  this  is. 
122 


THE  LUMBER  ROOM.  123 

Bill  was  a  sharp,  funny  boy,  and  once  when  he 
came  to  buy  toys  from  Sally  he  asked  for  a  rocking- 
horse  ;  but  he  only  did  this  because  he  'knew  Sally 
had  none.  Xo  sooner  had  he  said  it,  though,  than 
it  struck  both  of  them  that  it  was  no  fun  playing 
at  shops  without  a  rocking-horse ;  and  as  there  was 
an  old  broken  one  in  the  lumber-room  at  the  top 
of  the  house — where  no  one  ever  went — they  started 
off  to  look  for  it. 

Xow,  up  at  the  top  of  the  house  everything  was 
quiet  and  still — in  fact,  if  the  stairs  had  not  creaked 
there  would  have  been  no  sound  at  all ;  but  the  old 
wooden  stair  did  creak  dreadfully,  and  when  Bill 
and  Sally  arrived  at  the  lumber-room  door,  they 
were  so  frightened  that  they  did  not  dare  to  open  it. 

Suddenly  the  door  opened  by  itself,  and  a  gentle- 
looking  old  man,  with  sharp  eyes  and  very  untidy 
hair,  peeped  out.  Sally  rushed  behind  Bill,  but  the 
moment  she  did  so  the  old  man  caught  sight  of  her, 
and  popped  his  head  in,  saying,  ''  How  awkward, 
how  very  awkward !  "  and  the  door  was  shut  again. 
Then  the  children  looked  at  each  other  and  grinned ; 
he  was  evidently  a  shy  old  gentleman,  and  not  a  bit 
frightful  in  any  way,  only  it  zi'as  odd  his  being 
there  at  all. 

They  opened  the  door — everything  was  still. 
They  went  in,  and  saw  that  there  was  a  soft  blue 
light  over  everything  in  the  lumber  room.  There 
stood  the  rocking-horse,  his  tail  tied  to  his  neck  to 
replace  his  mane,  which  had  been  lost ;  cobwebs 
hung  all  over  him,  and  in  the  clear  light  a  perfect 
shadow  of  a  horse,  cobwebs  and  all,  was  thrown 
upon  the  dusty  floor. 

No  little  man  was  to  be  seen,  so  the  children 
hunted  about.  At  last  Bill  caught  Sally  by  the 
arm,  saying,  "  Look  at  that  clothes  basket !  "  and 


124  THE  LUMBER  ROOM. 

when  Sally  looked,  she  exclaimed,  "  It's  waggling 
about ;  he  must  be  in  it !  " 

They  stood  still  watching  it,  and  heard  a  squeaky 
little  voice  saying,  ''  This  is  really  the  most  awkward 
thing !  how  very,  very  distressing !  " 

Then  they  went  and  opened  the  basket,  and,  sure 
enough,  there  was  the  little  old  man  crouching  in  it.. 
You  see,  he  didn't  want  to  be  found  out. 

When  he  saw  they  had  found  him,  he  stood  up 
in  the  basket,  with  his  thin  old  hands  on  the  edge, 
and  with  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  ground. 

Sally  knew  it  was  rude  to  stand  looking  at  peo-  ' 
pie  without  speaking ;  so  she  began,  ''  It's  a  very 
nice  day,  sir !  and  we've  been  playing  at  a  shop." 

The  old  man  answered,  "  Excuse  me,  little  girl, 
but  I  have  really  so  little  experience  of  days,  that 

in  fact,  you  know "    Here  he  became  confused, 

and  nearly  tumbled  into  his  basket  again. 

"  Bill,  say  something  to  him ;  I  think  he's  afraid 
of  me,"  whispered  Sally. 

Bill  thought  for  some  time,  and  at  last  said, 
"  Why  don't  you  get  out  of  the  clothes  basket?  " 

"  Oh,  dear,  oh,  dear !  "  was  the  answer,  ''  you 
must  excuse  me;  I  am  so  much  alone  that  I  get 
quite  stupid  when  people  talk  to  me — you  see,  I'm 
the  Man  in  the  Moon.  I'm  wonderfully  amusing 
when  I  get  over  my  shyness,  but  I'm  dreadfully, 
dreadfully  shy !  " 

No  sooner  did  the  Man  in  the  Moon  tell  the  chil- 
dren who  he  was  than  they  went  off  into  fits  of 
laughter  which  quite  shook  the  dingy  old  garret, 
and  frightened  the  spiders  back  into  their  holes. 
When  they  left  off  laughing  and  dancing  about,  they 
found  that  he  had  got  into  the  bottom  of  the  basket 
again,  and  was  speaking  quite  crossly  to  himself; 
his  voice  indeed  sounded  so  angry  that  they  thought 


THE  LUMBER  ROOM.  125 

the}'  h'.i\  better  go  away,  but  as  they  were  shutting 
the  cloof,  out  came  his  head  again,  and  he  said, 
"' Vm  not  angry,  I'm  only  hurt;  I  shall  be  here 
i^gain  to-morrow  evening,  and  shall  be  glad  to  see 
you  again ;  few  people  appreciate  me,  but  I'm  won- 
derfully nice." 

So  the  children  thought ;  and  the  first  thing  they 
did  was  to  get  hold  of  their  little  brother  Bob,  and 
tell  him  all  about  it ;  but,  unfortunately,  they  fright- 
ened him,  and  he  began  to  cry.  So  the  nurse  came, 
and  told  them  never  to  speak  of  the  Man  in  the 
Aloon  again,  and  like  good  children  they  did  not ; 
but  you  may  be  sure  that  next  evening  they  stole 
ofif  to  the  lumber  room  to  meet  their  friend  again. 
There  he  was  sitting  on  the  ground,  smiling  good- 
naturedly,  and  polishing  his  shoe  buckles  with  his 
pocket-handkerchief. 

Bill  and  Sally  sat  down,  one  on  each  side  of  him ; 
and  the  Man  in  the  Moon,  after  looking  at  them  for 
a  long  time,  said,  "  Look  here !  I'll  tell  you  a  very 
odd  thing  about  me.  You  know  astronomers  and 
telescope  fellows  think  that  the  moon  gives  light, 
but  that  I  have  nothing  to  do  with  it.  This  is  quite 
wrong.  Look  out  of  the  window.  Do  you  see  the 
moon  ? " 

'*  No,"  said  Bill ;  "  because  it  hasn't  risen." 

"  Nonsense,  little  boy !  "  replied  the  Aloon-man 
testily;  "it's  because  I'm  not  in  it.  As  long  as 
the  moonlight  isn't  wanted,  I  go  about  and  amuse 
myself ;  but  I  never  let  anyone  see  me  then,  because 
it  would  never  do.  When  it's  time  for  the  Moon 
to  rise,  I  shall  have  to  be  ofif,  and  you  will  see  me 
riding  through  the  sky,  giving  light  to  all  who  want 
it ;  and  to  some  I  will  show  the  road  home,  and 
others  looking  at  me  will  think  of  absent  friends  who 
can  see  me  too.      The  worst  of  it  is,  that  so  many^ 


126  THE  LUMBER  ROOM. 

people  will  come  out  and  say  poetry  to  me,  and  call 
me,  '  O  Moon ! '  and  say  I  am  round  and  bright, 
or  that  I  shine  in  the  night." 

He  became  quite  savage  as  he  spoke,  and  pulled 
his  watch  out  of  his  pocket.  It  was  a  very  old- 
fashioned  watch,  no  one  knows  how  or  when  it  was 
made,  but  there  is  one  just  like  it  in  the  Sun,  and 
another  on  the  Earth,  and  all  the  planets  have 
them.  They  never  go  wrong.  Well,  the  Man  in 
the  Moon  pulled  out  his  watch,  and  jumped  up. 

"  Just  in  time,  my  dears !  I  shall  only  have  five 
minutes  to  get  home,  put  on  my  overcoat,  and  light 
up  the  moon."  He  pointed  with  his  fingers,  saying, 
"  Look  over  there  and  you  will  soon  see  me."  The 
children  gazed  in  the  direction  of  his  hand,  but 
when  they  looked  for  him  again  he  had  gone.  You 
can  imagine  how  surprised  they  were ;  and  when  the 
Moon  rose,  which  it  shortly  did,  they  could  clearly 
see  in  it  their  friend's  funny  old  face ;  and  as  they 
went  downstairs  to  bed,  Sally  thought  she  heard 
his  voice  say,  "  Awkward !  very  awkward !  "  but  I 
think  it  must  have  been  the  creaky  stairs. 


II. 

AN   EXCURSION. 

The  next  night  to  this  Bill  and  Sally  went  up- 
stairs again  in  the  evening  to  the  lumber  room. 
They  opened  the  door  very  quietly,  for  fear  of 
frightening  the  Man  in  the  Aloon ;  but  when  they 
got  in  they  found  it  quite  dark  and  quiet,  and  there 
was  nobody  there. 

"Where  can  he  have  gone,  Sally?"  said  Bill. 

"  Perhaps  he  has  gone  back  to  the  ]Moon,"  said 
Sally. 

"  Perhaps  he  hasn't,"  said  the  i\Ian  in  the  ^loon. 
For  there  he  was,  standing  just  behind  them,  with 
his  blue  light  shining  round  him,  and  lighting  up 
all  the  holes  and  corners  of  the  room. 

Bill  and  Sally  started  back  in  a  fright  at  first; 
but  very  soon  they  recovered ;  and  Bill  said  to  him, 
"  Where  did  you  come  from  ?  " 

"  From  the  >\Ioon,"  he  answered,  and  jumped 
straight  into  the  clothes  basket. 

"  Oh,  dear !  you've  offended  him.  Bill,"  said  Sally ; 
"  perhaps  he'll  never  come  out  again.  Please  do 
come  out,  sir,"  she  said,  going  up  to  the  basket; 
but  she  got  no  answer ;  and  so  she  stood  on  tiptoe 
and  looked  in,  and  there  she  saw  the  ^lan  in  the 
Moon  lying  curled  up  at  the  bottom,  and  looking 
quite  as  frightened  as  she  was. 

''You  shouldn't  ask  me  such  questions,"  he  said 
in  a  sad  voice  when  she  looked  at  him ;  "  it  hurts 
rny  feelings." 

127 


128  THE  LUMBER  ROOM. 

"  We'll  never  do  it  again,  if  you'll  only  come  out," 
said  Bill  and  Sally  together.  And  then  he  came 
out  like  a  Jack-in-the-box. 

"  Will  you  take  a  walk  with  me  ?  "  he  said. 

"  Where  ?  "  asked  Sally. 

"  In  the  cupboard,"  said  the  Man  in  the  Moon. 

At  this  they  both  began  to  laugh  loudly;  but, 
seeing  a  pained  look  on  his  face,  and  fearing  he 
would  jump  into  the  clothes  basket  again,  they 
left  off ;  and  Bill  said,  with  a  polite  bow,  that  they 
should  be  very  glad  to  walk  with  him. 

"  Do  you  know  what  there  is  in  the  cupboard  ?  " 
he  said. 

''  Old  clothes,"  rephed  Sally. 

"  Ah,  so  you  think,  so  you  think !  "  said  the  Man 
in  the  Moon.  ''  Wait  a  little !  "  and  he  rubbed  his 
hands  together  and  laughed  to  himself,  just  as  if 
he  had  said  something  very  funny. 

Then  he  took  out  of  his  pocket  a  key  nearly  as 
big  as  himself,  and  opened  the  door  of  the  cupboard 
where  all  the  old  clothes  are  kept.  As  soon  as  he 
opened  it  a  flood  of  light  burst  into  the  room,  so 
strong  that  the  blue  light  round  the  i\Ian  in  the 
Moon  seemed  quite  to  go  out.  At  the  same  moment 
the  children  heard  the  sound  of  waves  beating  on  a 
beach ;  and,  as  soon  as  they  could  see  plainly — for 
their  eyes  were  quite  dazzled  at  first — they  per- 
ceived a  beautiful  sea  stretching  before  them  as 
far  as  they  could  see. 

The  waves  were  bright  blue,  and  so  was  the  sky 
overhead ;  the  sand  was  fresh  and  white,  and  quan- 
tities of  little  white-sailed  boats  were  dancing  about 
on  the  water,  some  sailing  races  with  each  other, 
and  others  lying  on  the  beach,  waiting  for  someone 
to  get  into  them. 

The  Man  in  the  Moon  laughed  again  as  he  saw 


THE  LUMBER  ROOM.  129 

how  surprised  the  children  looked,  and  led  them 
down  to  one  of  these  boats,  into  which  they  all  three 
got. 

"  Can  vou  row  ?  "  said  the  Man  in  the  ^loon  to 
Bill. 

"  Yes,"  said  Bill.  But  he  couldn't ;  and  he 
didn't  know  what  to  do  with  the  oars  when  he  took 
hold  of  them. 

"  Wait  a  little,"  said  the  Man  in  the  Moon ;  and 
taking  out  his  big  key,  he  put  one  end  of  it  into 
Bill's  ear.  Click !  he  gave  it  a  turn,  and  Bill  began 
rowing  as  if  he  had  done  nothing  else  all  his  life. 

The  boat  went  on  over  the  beautiful  sea,  where 
dolphins  with  lovely  colored  skins  were  playing  al- 
ways on  the  crests  of  the  waves,  till  they  came  to  a 
green  island  covered  with  shady  groves  of  trees 
and  tinkling  waterfalls.  In  the  middle  of  this 
island  was  what  the  children  thought  at  first  was  a 
mountain ;  but  as  they  came  nearer  Sally  thought  it 
was  very  like  some  things  she  had  seen  in  her 
mamma's  kitchen,  only  ever  so  much  bigger ;  and 
at  last,  when  they  were  quite  close,  she  said  in  a 
surprised  tone,  ''Why,  it's  a  jelly-mold!" 

"  Of  course  it  is !  "  said  the  ^lan  in  the  Moon ; 
"  that's  where  the  jelly-fish  are  made." 

As  they  went  on  the  waves  grew  less  blue  and  the 
dolphins  less  gayly  colored,  and  the  light  seemed  to 
be  going  out  of  the  sky,  till  at  last  there  were  no 
dolphins,  and  the  only  light  left  was  the  strange 
blue  light  that  always  shone  round  the  ]^lan  in  the 
Moon ;  and  by  this  light  they  saw  that  they  were 
coming  to  another  island,  but  instead  of  being  green 
and  bright,  it  was  quite  black,  and  had  no  middle. 
It  looked  just  like  the  rim  of  a  hat  without  the 
crown. 

"  Look  over  the  edge,"  said  the  Man  in  the  ^loon, 


130  THE  LUMBER  ROOM. 

"  but  don't  tumble  in,  because  that  would  be  very 
awkward." 

So  they  stood  up  in  the  boat  and  craned  over, 
but  they  could  see  nothing  but  a  great  black  hole. 

"  That,"  said  the  Man  in  the  Moon,  "  is  where 
the  old  moons  are  kept." 

''  Why  can't  we  see  them  ?  " 

*'  Because  the_  are  gone  out,"  said  the  Man  in 
the  Moon,  quite  snappishly. 

"  Please,  sir,"  asked  Bill,  "  what  are  they — made 
of  ?  "  he  was  going  to  say,  but  suddenly  felt  fright- 
ened, and  said,  "  What  are  they  doing  there  ?  "  in- 
stead. 

"  Waiting,"  said  the  INIan  in  the  Moon. 

"What  for?"  asked  Sally. 

"  For  ever !  "  he  answered ;  and  the  boat  went  on. 

Now  the  sea  began  to  light  up  again,  but  in- 
stead of  being  blue  it  was  gray,  and  the  air,  which 
had  been  warm  before,  grew  colder  and  colder. 
The  Man  in  the  Moon  took  two  long  cloaks,  made 
of  silver  paper,  out  of  his  pocket,  and  made  Bill 
and  Sally  put  them  on,  and,  oddly  enough,  they 
were  as  warm  as  if  they  had  been  made  of  furs. 

Now  great  towers  of  ice  began  to  float  past  them 
— large,  glittering  cities,  with  no  living  thing  in 
them  ;  but  through  the  windows  of  one  of  the  houses 
(for  there  were  houses  in  all  of  them)  they  saw  a 
heap  of  dolls,  rocking-horses,  and  toy  figures  of 
every^  sort  lying  together.  Some  were  broken  into 
quite  little  pieces,  and  some  seemed  to  be  struggling 
to  get  up. 

''  Those,"  said  the  Man  in  the  Moon,  ''  are  all  the 
broken  toys.  They  are  sent  out  here  to  mend  them- 
selves." 

Presently  they  saw  no  more  ice  towers — nothing 
but  the  sea  all  round. 


THE  LUMBER  ROOM.  131 

"  Hi !  "  said  the  ^lan  in  the  ^loon,  and  the  boat 
btopped.  Then  he  pulled  out  his  watch.  '*  Oh, 
dear !  "  he  said,  "  this  is  very  awkward.  I  must  go 
back  at  once,  or  there  will  be  an  eclipse.  I  meant 
to  have  taken  you  on  to  the  North  Pole,  but  I  must 
go  back  at  once.      This  is  very  awkward !  " 

"  But  how  shall  we  get  back  ?  "  asked  Sally. 

"  Oh,  get  in  here !  "  said  the  Man  in  the  Moon, 
and  took  off  his  hat,  which  suddenly  became  big 
enough  to  hold  them.  As  soon  as  they  were  in,  he 
put  his  handkerchief  over  the  top,  which  made  it 
dark  for  a  moment ;  then  it  j^rew  light  again,  and 
there  they  were,  in  the  old-clothes  cupboard,  with 
the  door  open,  and  the  moonlight  coming  in  at  the 
window. 


III. 

THE  MOON  DANCE. 

When  the  children  went  up  to  the  lumber 
room  the  next  night,  there  was  the  Man  in  the  Moon 
waiting  for  them. 

"  Here  we  are  again !  "  he  cried,  and  began  to 
imitate  a  clown  in  a  pantomime ;  but  he  did  it  very 
feebly  and  badly,  so  that  the  children  were  quite 
ashamed  for  him,  and  he  stopped  short  in  the  mid- 
dle of  a  grimace  and  turned  very  red,  and  said  quite 
humbly :  *'  I  can't  do  this  sort  of  thing  well ;  I 
know  I  can't ;  I  ought  not  to  have  tried  it.  But 
there  are  some  things  I  can  do,"  he  added,  bright' 
ening  up,  and  began  pulling  a  parcel  out  of  his 
pocket  and  untying  it. 

While  he  was  doing  this,  Bill  and  Sally  talked  to 
each  other  in  whispers.  You  must  know  that  they 
wanted  very  much  to  find  out  what  the  Moon  was 
made  of  (Bill  said  it  was  made  of  cheese ;  Sally  said 
it  wasn't),  and  had  made  up  their  minds  to  ask  the 
Moon-man,  though  they  both  felt  afraid  to  do  so. 
They  thought  they  had  better  try  to  put  him  in  good 
humor  first,  and  so  they  had  got  some  tea  ready 
for  him. 

There  was  a  candle-end  stuck  in  a  bottle  for  a 
chandelier,  and  there  were  some  broken  pieces  of 
plate  and  some  cheese.  This  was  all  very  well, 
but  they  had  nothing  to  drink. 

Just  as  they  were  asking  each  other  what  they 
132 


THE  LUMBER  ROOM.  I33 

should  do,  the  Moon-man  spoke  to  them.  "  I  knew 
you  were  going  to  ask  me  to  tea,"  he  said,  "  so  I 
have  brought  my  tea  things ;"  and  there,  sure 
enough,  was  a  small  table,  and  a  teapot,  and  a 
sugar  basin,  and  cups  and  saucers,  and  everything 
you  could  want,  all  made  of  silver  paper.  The  tea, 
and  the  bread,  and  the  butter,  and  the  jam  were 
all  delicious ;  and  while  they  were  eating,  the  Moon- 
man  said  he  would  take  them  another  walk  if  they 
liked. 

Presently  Bill  took  out  the  cheese  they  had  pre- 
pared and  held  it  up  to  the  ^loon-man.  ''  Would 
you  like  some,  sir?"  he  said. 

But  the  yian  in  the  ^loon  looked  quite  shocked. 
*'  Oh,  dear  !  "  he  said,  "  this  is  very  awkward  !  Give 
it  to  me."  And  he  wrapped  it  up  in  one  of  the  sil- 
ver-paper cups  and  put  it  away  in  his  pocket. 

Now,  thought  Bill  and  Sally,  is  the  time  to  ask 
what  the  ^loon  is  made  of ;  so  Sally  nudged  Bill, 
and  Bill  began :   "  Please,  sir,  is  the " 

"  Carriage  ready !  "  interrupted  the  Moon-man, 
turning  very  red  and  working  his  fingers  about  like 
a  railway  signal.  ''  Oh,  yes  !  it's  been  waiting  some 
time.  Come  along ;"  and  he  opened  the  door  of  the 
old-clothes  cupboard. 

The  shelves  had  all  disappeared,  as  they  had  the 
night  before ;  but  instead  of  the  sea,  and  the  beach, 
and  the  boats,  they  saw  a  long  road  overhung  with 
tall  trees  stretching  out  into  the  distance ;  and  in  the 
middle  of  the  road  there  was  an  open  carriage,  just 
big  enough  to  hold  the  three  little  people — for  the 
Man  in  the  ^loon  was  not  much  taller  than  the  chil- 
dren. Harnessed  to  it  were  four  horses,  and  a  tidy 
groom  and  coachman  were  sitting  on  the  box.  The 
groom  jumped  down  and  opened  the  door,  and  they 
got  in  and  drove  off. 


134-  THE  LU]MBER  ROOM. 

"  Why  does  he  call  rowing  and  driving  taking  a 
walk?"  whispered  Sally  to  Bill. 

"  Because  it  is,  or  might  be,  a  walk  at  any  time, 
and  comes  to  the  same  place  in  the  end,"  answered 
the  Man  in  the  Moon  quite  loud. 

Soon  the  carriage  stopped,  and  looking  out  at  the 
window  they  saw  a  quantity  of  heaps  of  smoldering 
ashes  on  the  road.  "  Little  gentleman,"  said  the 
Moon-man  to  Bill,  "  what  is  a  phoenix?  " 

Bill  happened  to  know,  and  was  very  glad  to  have 
an  opportunity  of  showing  his  knowledge.  He 
paused  a  little  to  collect  his  thoughts. 

"  Come,  come,"  said  the  Moon-man  impatiently ; 
"  what  is  it  ?  Is  it  bounded  on  the  east  by  the  Cas- 
pian Sea?  Was  he  a  great  Roman  general?  or 
what?" 

"  No,"  said  Bill  rather  crossly,  "  a  phoenix  is  a 
bird  that  lives  a  hundred  years,  and  when  it  dies  it 
is  burnt  up  and  a  new  one  comes  from  the  ashes." 
Just  as  he  spoke  a  magnificent  bird  sprang  up  from 
one  of  the  ashheaps,  and  flew  away  with  its  glitter- 
ing wings  over  the  tops  of  the  trees. 

"  Is  that  a  phoenix  ?  "  asked  Sally. 
.  "  It  is,  and  it  isn't,"  said  the  Moon-man.  "  This 
is  where  all  the  poetry  is  made.  Each  of  these 
heaps  is  a  poet's  heart,  and  each  of  them  must  be 
burned  before  poetry  can  come  out  of  it.  This  you 
can't  understand,  but  it's  of  no  consequence.  Now, 
look  out  at  the  other  window." 

There  they  saw  a  crowd  of  children,  who  some- 
how looked  more  like  shadows  than  real  children, 
playing  quite  quietly  at  all  sorts  of  games.  None 
of  them  spoke  or  laughed,  and  among  them  Bill 
and  Sally  saw  two  very  like  themselves,  who  were 
playing  at  the  game  of  shops  which  they  had  in- 
vented. 


THE  LUMBER  ROOM.  I35 

"  These,"  said  the  Moon-man,  "  are  all  the  old 
games  that  you  have  got  tired  of.  Drive  on,  coach- 
man !  "  And  they  drove  on,  and  on,  till  they  came 
to  the  foot  of  a  sloping  hill,  where  they  got  out. 

This  hill  was  laid  out  in  the  most  lovely  gardens, 
flowers  of  every  color  grew  there  quite  wild,  such 
flowers  as  are  generally  only  seen  in  green-houses. 
Tall  palm  trees  rose  among  them,  and  bent  down 
their  long  leaves  to  whisper  to  them.  In  the  center 
of  each  flower  sat  a  beautiful  fairy :  the  boy  fairies 
were  all  dressed  in  bright  blue  velvet,  with  silver- 
braided  caps  and  silver-hilted  swords ;  and  the  girl 
fairies  in  light  blue  silk,  with  silver  flowers  in  their 
hair. 

All  of  them  clapped  their  hands  with  delight 
when  they  saw  the  ^loon-man,  and  got  down  out  of 
the  flowers  to  meet  him. 

Then  he  turned  to  Bill  and  Sally,  and  asked  them 
if  they  would  like  to  dance ;  and,  going  up  a  broad 
flight  of  marble  steps,  they  came  to  a  great  hall  with 
a  marble  floor,  where  hundreds  of  these  fairies  were 
dancing  to  the  sound  of  the  most  beautiful  music, 
which  seemed  to  come  from  the  roof  above.  This 
was  not  an  ordinary  roof :  it  looked  more  like  a 
thick  veil  than  anything  else,  and  through  it  there 
streamed  the  same  sort  of  blue  light  which  always 
shone  round  the  Man  in  the  Moon. 

Both  Bill  and  Sally  found  a  partner  to  dance 
with ;  but,  as  Bill  was  going  round  the  room,  his 
foot  struck  against  something,  which,  on  looking  up, 
he  found  to  be  a  long  ladder,  which  seemed  to 
stretch  beyond  the  roof.  ''  What  is  this  ladder 
for !  "  he  asked  of  his  partner,  but  she  put  her  finger 
on  her  lips  and  began  to  dance  again. 

\Mien  they  stopped,  the  Man  in  the  Aloon  came 
up  to  Bill  and  said,  ''  This  is  a  very  awkward  thing. 


136  THE  LUMBER  ROOM. 

I  must  tell  you  what  you  know  already.  I  dare  say 
that  the  people  on  the  earth  only  see  one  side  of 
the  Moon,  and  consequently  they  think  nobody  lives 
in  it.  This  is  the  other  side ;  and  the  ladder  takes 
to  the  side  you  see.  It's  time  for  me  to  go 
there,  and  I'm  going  up  it.  On  no  account  follow 
me,  or  you  will  never  see  me  again,  and  that  would 
be  a  pity,  because,  now  that  I  have  got  over  my  shy- 
ness, I  am  really  a  very  nice  person.  Don't  you 
think  so?" 

But  without  waiting  for  an  answer,  he  began  to 
go  quickly  up  the  ladder,  only  stopping  a  moment 
to  say  to  Bill,  *'  These  little  people  will  take  care  of 
you,  and  send  you  home." 

But  Bill  felt  the  greatest  curiosity  to  see  what 
the  Moon  was  made  of ;  and,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  he 
went  to  Sally  and  persuaded  her  to  go  up  the  ladder 
with  him,  though  all  the  little  people  begged  him 
not. 

So  they  went  up  and  up,  and  when  they  got  to 
the  top  step  they  found  a  little  door  in  front  of 
them.  ''  Now,"  said  Bill,  ''  we  really  shall  see  what 
the  Moon  is  made  of ;"  and  he  opened  the  door  and 
he  and  Sally  went  through  it ;  it  shut  behind  them — 
and  there  they  were  in  the  old  clothes  cupboard 
again. 

They  never  saw  any  more  of  the  Man  in  the 
Moon,  though  they  went  up  into  the  lumber  room 
very  often,  and  called  for  him.  Once  they  thought 
they  heard  him  in  the  clothes  basket,  saying  to  him- 
self, "  It's  of  no  consequence ;"  but  when  they 
looked  in  there  was  nothing  there. 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  LITTLE  POXD. 

There  was  once  upon  a  time  a  pretty  little  brook 
which  went  dancing  merrily  along  over  bright,  shin- 
ing pebbles  the  whole  long  summer  day,  singing  a 
quiet  song  to  itself,  as  it  kissed  the  grasses  and 
wild  flowers  that  hung  over  its  banks  ;  and  although, 
when  the  winter  came,  and  the  sun  shone  less 
brightly,  the  little  brook  did  not  look  quite  so  merry, 
it  was  still  as  happy  and  contented  as  any  little  brook 
could  be. 

One  day  in  the  early  spring,  when  the  flowers 
were  just  beginning  to  peep  over  its  banks  and  look 
at  themselves  in  its  shining  water,  the  little  brook 
felt  something  stopping  up  its  course,  and  all  the 
little  waves,  as  they  came  running  down,  had  to 
stand  and  wait  till  the  way  was  clear  again.  At  last 
there  were  so  many  little  waves  standing  waiting  to 
get  on,  that,  instead  of  a  brook,  it  looked  more  like 
a  little  pond. 

And  so  it  was ;  the  brook  did  not  know,  as  we 
do,  that  the  miller  had  sent  for  workmen,  and 
stopped  up  its  way  just  on  purpose  to  make  a  pond 
in  which  to  keep  the  water  for  turning  his  mill. 

Xow,  the  little  waves  soon  grew  very  tired  of 
waiting,  and  they  became  very  cross  and  discon- 
tented. 

"  Oh,  dear !  "  cried  they,  ''  how  hot  the  sun  is ; 
and  it  is  so  tiresome  having  to  stay  here  doing 
nothing ;  we  have  nothing  to  look  at  either ;  it  is  so 
dull !  " 

They  had  not  long  to  wait,  however,  before  they 

137 


138         THE  STORY  OF  THE  LITTLE  POND. 

had  plenty  of  things  to  look  at;  for  the  fields  all 
round  the  pond  soon  filled  with  haymakers,  who  at 
dinner-time  came  and  sat  down  on  the  edge  of  the 
little  pond,  and  amused  themselves  by  throwing 
stones  into  it,  and  making  ducks  and  drakes  all 
over  it. 

"  Oh,  dear !  "  cried  one  wave  to  another,  "  that 
stone  hurt  me  very  much ;  I  wish  I  could  get  away 
from  here  and  run  on  as  I  used  to  do ;  I  always 
hoped  to  get  down  into  that  sea  that  the  fishes  al- 
ways told  me  so  much  about,  but  now  I  am  afraid 
I  shall  be  too  late ;  do  let  me  pass." 

"  Don't  push  so,"  said  the  other  waves ;  ''  you  are 
no  worse  off  than  we  are." 

And  they  all  began  to  grumble  and  quarrel,  and 
to  wish  for  something  different  from  what  they  had. 

Now  the  sun  got  hotter  and  hotter  from  day  to 
day;  flies  began  to  skim  over  the  face  of  the  water, 
and  all  kinds  of  thirsty  animals  came  to  drink  it 
up ;  the  cows,  too,  came  and  stood  in  it  to  cool 
themselves ;  and  the  wind  lay  quite  tired,  and  could 
not  even  blow  the  slightest  breeze.  The  poor  little 
pond  grew  smaller  and  smaller  every  day,  and  the 
waves  cried  out,  faintly,  very  often : 

*'  Oh,  dear !  this  is  dreadful !  we  can't  stand  the 
heat  of  the  sun,  and  these  horrid  flies  will  not  leave 
us  any  peace !  And  then,  as  if  the  flies  were  not 
plague  enough,  that  large  four-legged  beast  must 
come  and  stand  among  us,  and  make  us  all  so  thick 
and  muddy !  How  we  wish  the  sun  would  not 
shine  so !  " 

At  last,  just  before  the  pond  v/as  quite  dried  up, 
clouds  came  up  and  covered  all  the  sky,  and  the 
cold  rain-drops  began  to  fall  and  make  great  plashes 
on  the  top  of  the  water.  The  plowmen,  at  work  in 
the  fields,  came  down  with  their  horses  to  the  side  of 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  LITTLE  POND.  I39 

it,  and  washed  the  mud  off  their  feet,  and  let  them 
drink  great  draughts  of  the  water.  The  wind,  too, 
began  to  blow,  and  covered  all  the  face  of  the  pond 
with  ripples,  so  that  it  looked  quite  black  and 
gloomy,  and  felt  so  chilly  and  miserable. 

Then  all  the  little  waves  cried  out,  and  said : 
"  We  would  far  rather  have  the  nice  warm  sun- 
shine and  flies  than  this  cold,  dreary  rain !  "  But 
still  it  grew  colder  from  day  to  day ;  the  leaves  fell 
off  the  trees,  and  the  little  birds  sang  no  more. 

One  night  the  little  waves  were  very,  very  cold ; 
they  had  never  been  so  cold  before ;  and  they  felt 
themselves  growing  stiffer  and  stiffer,  till  at  last 
they  were  so  cold  and  stiff  that  even  the  strong 
rough  wind  could  not  move  them.  They  were  quite 
hard  frozen. 

When  the  morning  came  they  heard  the  sound 
of  voices,  and  laughter,  and  children  came  down 
to  the  edge  of  the  pond.  The  poor  little  frozen 
waves  wondered  what  they  were  going  to  do,  and 
quite  forgot  to  grumble  while  they  watched  them. 

All  of  a  sudden  a  little  boy  put  his  foot  upon  the 
pond,  but  instead  of  stirring  up  mud,  as  the  horses 
and  cows  had  done,  he  began  to  run  very  fast  on  the 
top  of  the  poor  little  waves,  cutting  long  scratches 
all  over  them  with  a  sharp  knife  which  he  had  fas- 
tened to  his  feet,  and  on  which  he  balanced  himself 
as  he  ran. 

Then  came  more  boys  and  girls,  and  men  and 
women,  who  all  ran  about  on  sharp  knives  up  and 
down  over  the  pond ;  and  as  they  flew  along  laugh- 
ing and  shouting,  the  poor  little  waves  groaned  and 
cried  ;  and  all  they  could  say  was : 

*'  Oh !  we  never  felt  anything  so  bad  as  this  be- 
fore !  "  and  then  thev  groaned  and  cried  again. 

All  day  long,  and  for  many  days,  did  these  people 


liO         THE  STORY  OF  THE  LITTLE  POND. 

come  and  run  about  on  the  pond ;  and  the  poor  lit- 
tle waves  were  so  miserable  that  at  last  they  began  to 
think  that  all  this  pain  was  meant  to  punish  them 
for  being  so  unhappy,  and  complaining  so  much 
of  the  sun  and  the  flies,  the  thirsty  horses,  and  the 
cold  wind  and  rain,  and  they  grew  very  sorry  that 
ever  they  had  been  so  naughty  and  discontented. 

One  evening,  after  everything  was  still,  and 
everyone  was  gone  away  for  the  night,  the  sky 
grew  very  black,  and  something  white  began  to  fall 
from  it.  It  came  quietly,  gently  down  on  the  poor 
little  scratched  face  of  the  pond,  and  lay  there,  very 
soft  and  very  cold ;  and  soon  the  little  waves  could 
see  nothing  more,  for  it  was  quite  dark. 

After  lying  quietly  for  some  time,  they  heard 
voices,  which  they  thought  they  knew,  saying: 

"  Oh,  look  here !  what  a  pity !  here  is  the  tire- 
some snow  come,  and  it  has  spoiled  all  our  skat- 
ing!" 

The  kind  snow  lay  upon  the  poor  little  pond  for 
many  days,  and  kept  the  skaters  from  hurting  it 
any  more,  till  the  sun  grew  warmer  and  melted  it 
away ;  then  the  little  waves  grew  soft  again  as  they 
were  before,  and  no  one  could  stand  upon  them 
any  more. 

Then  they  were  so  happy ;  and  as  the  sun  shone 
upon  them  and  made  them  warm  again,  they  all 
sang  for  joy;  and  they  never  grumbled  any  more; 
for  they  said : 

"  It  is  of  no  use  to  make  ourselves  unhappy  about 
small  things ;  we  know  now  what  it  is  to  have  some- 
thing real  to  grumble  about." 


WHAT  THE  ANIMALS   SAID. 

I  ONCE  knew  a  little  girl  who  loved  all  kinds  of 
birds,  beasts,  and  fishes,  and  who  never  lost  any 
chance  of  showing  them  kindness  in  some  form_  or 
other       I   think   there  must  have  been   somethmg 
in  her  look  which  told  the  poor  dumb  beasts  and 
birds  how  she  loved  them,  for,  instead  of  runnmg 
or  flving  awav,  as  though  scared  at  her  approach, 
they 'used  to  come  up  to  her,  and  look  mto  her  little 
eves,  as  if  asking  to  be  fondled. 
'  I  have  seen  her  returning  home  with  a  troop  ot 
poor  hungrv  dogs  at  her  heels,  some  ot  whom  had 
lost  their  masters,  and  others  had  run  away  from 
theirs  in  disgust  at  the  ill-treatment  they  had  re- 
ceived while  in  their  service.      She  would  put  by 
dailv  a  part  of  her  little  breakfast,  and  would  save 
every  week  a  part  of  her  pocket  money,  to  ^minister 
to  the  comforts  of  her  poor  favorites.     Xor  were 
thev  ungrateful,  as  vou  may  well  believe.      After 
satisfving  their  hunger,   they   would  bark   such   a 
chorus  of  thankfulness  as  is  rarely  heard  outside  ot 
the  Isle  of  Dogs,  and  would  accompany  their  kind 
little  friend— an  unpaid  bodyguard— on  her  way  to 
school,  and  wait  outside  to  escort  her  home  again 
They  were  good,  sensible  dogs,  and  never  barked 
or  made  anv  noise  while  school  was  going  on,  ex- 
cepting upon  one  occasion,  when  they  fancied  that 
I^Iarv   (that  was  the  name  of  the  good  little  girl) 
was 'being  punished   for  not  knowing  her  lesson, 
when  in  they  walked  without  knocking— the  New- 

14:1 


144  WHAT  THE  ANIMALS  SAID. 

its  while  to  express  a  wish  that  such  a  calamity 
might  be  averted   from  her. 

Mary  then  walked  on  to  the  lion's  cage,  but  could 
not  help  returning  to  look  at  the  elephant,  on  seeing 
the  crowds  who  flocked  around  to  feed  it,  and  hear- 
ing the  different  remarks  that  they  made  and  the 
"  Humphs  "  that  fell  from  its  lips  and  trunk.  One 
gave  it  a  turnip,  one  an  apple,  one  a  lump  of  sugar, 
another  a  bit  of  bread,  all  of  which  it  took  in  its 
trunk  and  put  into  its  mouth.  A  wag  offered  it  a 
newspaper ;  but  I  suppose  it  found  literature  hard 
to  digest,  as  it  not  only  rejected  the  proffered  gift 
with  scorn,  but  struck  the  wag  over  the  head  with 
its  trunk,  staving  in  his  hat.  Now  the  hat  was  a 
new  one,  and  had  cost  nine-and-sixpence. 

There  was  a  little  elephant  in  the  same  stall  as 
the  large  one,  its  mother,  and  Mary  was  much 
amused  at  hearing  the  different  remarks  with  which 
the  old  one  edified  the  young  one.  ''  See,  my  dear," 
said  she,  **  how  infinitely  superior  we  are  to  yon 
crowd  of  idle  gazers,  who  call  themselves  human 
beings  !  How  simple  is  our  life  compared  to  theirs  ! 
Before  you  were  born,  many  years  ago,  I  used  to 
roam  the  jungles  of  an  island  called  Ceylon,  in  com- 
pany with  your  dear  father  and  uncles  and  aunts. 
I  had  one  day  wandered  away  from  home  (for  I 
was  then  young  and  thoughtless)  in  search  of  a  bit 
of  sugar  cane  for  lunch,  or  tiffin,  as  we  used  to  call 
it,  when  I  found  myself  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of 
men,  who  bound  me,  set  me  on  a  bullock  cart,  and 
took  me  to  a  seaport.  Here  I  was  put  on  board  a 
horrid  prison,  called  a  ship,  and  transported  to  Eng- 
land. It  is  a  hard  thing,  my  dear,  to  be  in  the  power 
of  beings  that  you  absolutely  despise,  as  I  most 
justly  do  mankind.  Consider  how  helpless  they  are 
by  nature !     We  with  our  trunks  can  pick  up  a  pin 


WHAT  THE  ANIMALS  SAID.  I45 

or  pull  down  a  forest  tree !  they  cannot  even  build 
a  bridge  from  Dover  to  Calais.  We  can  enjoy  and 
thrive  upon  a  diet  of  simple  food,  such  as  rice  and 
vegetables ;  they  not  only  eat,  in  my  opinion,  a  great 
deal  too  much  food  of  every  kind,  but  also  spoil  the 
little  digestion  they  have  by  the  use  of  strong  drinks, 
and  then  they  call  a  man  who  takes  an  extra  dose  of 
such  drinks  '  a  43east,'  forsooth,  as  if  any  of  us 
would  have  ever  hit  upon  the  idea  of  making  or 
using  any  strong  drink  at  all.  It  is  impossible  to 
think  of  any  more  complete  misnomer." 

Now,  Mary  didn't  know  anyone  of  the  name  of 
*'  Miss  Xomer,"  so  she  thought  either  that  the  ele- 
phant must  have  made  some  mistake,  or  that  it  must 
be  an  elephantine  name  for  some  strong  drink. 

The  elephant  went  on  to  describe  the  hundred 
dififerent  ills  that  human  flesh  was  heir  to — such 
as  bills,  creditors,  duns,  east  winds,  colds,  bad  cooks, 
barrel  organs,  politics,  and  many  other  evils  of  that 
sort  from  all  of  which,  as  she  justly  remarked,  the 
beast  creation  were  free.  She  said  she  had  seen  a 
list  of  above  a  hundred  of  such  complaints,  but  had 
forgotten  their  names ;  but  she  was  glad  to  say  that 
there  was  a  gentleman  who  professed  to  be  able  to 
cure  them  all  with  some  remedy  or  other,  which 
she  had  read  of  in  an  advertisement  sheet  of  a  paper 
in  which  some  sweetmeats  had  been  wrapped  up. 
She  then  described  how  men  fight  and  quarrel  with 
each  other  in  a  way  that  beasts  would  be  ashamed 
to  do.  Thousands  and  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
people,  with  spikes  on  their  heads,  and  l)lue  coats, 
under  the  command  of  a  person  called  a  king, 
would  go  and  fire  at  hundreds  and  thousands  of  peo- 
ple in  red  trousers,  commanded  by  a  man  called 
an  emperor,  till  it  was  decided  whether  a  piece  of 
rag  marked  blagk  and  white,  or  another  marked 


146  WHAT  THE  ANIMALS  SAID. 

with  red,  white,  and  bkie,  should  be  stuck  upon 
sticks  all  over  a  certain  piece  of  ground. 

When  the  fight  was  over,  as  many  as  were  not 
killed  would  return  to  their  respective  homes — 
that  is,  provided  such  homes  had  not  been  burned 
down  during  the  war ;  but,  as  soon  as  the  red-white- 
and-blue-rag  people  felt  themselves  strong  enough 
to  replace  their  rag  on  the  piece  of  debatable  land 
they  would  scorn  all  thought  of  the  untold  agony  in- 
flicted upon  thousands  of  the  human  race,  and  pro- 
ceed to  attack  their  foes  anew. 

*'  Now,  with  us,  my  dear,"  said  the  elephant,  ^'  the 
case  used  to  be  quite  different.  The  only  fights 
that  we-  ever  had  were  between  two  champion  ele- 
phants who  were  in  love  with  the  same  fair  beast 
and  wished  to  make  her  their  bride.  And  even  in 
this  case,  I  used  to  say  that  they  would  have  done 
far  better  to  toss  up  for  the  prize ;  or,  what  would 
have  been,  perhaps,  more  satisfactory  to  the  bride 
in  question,  to  have  let  her  choose  for  herself. 

"  Again,  look  how  defenseless  are  mankind 
against  the  weather  when  compared  with  us.  See 
how  they  have  fallen  off  from  their  original  state. 
I  make  no  doubt  myself  that  they  were  once  covered 
with  hair,  much  as  the  monkeys  of  the  present  day 
are  now,  and  that  they  possessed  the  gift  of  instinct 
which  never  errs,  instead  of  the  inferior  gift  of  rea- 
son which  leads  mankind  so  often  astray.  I  am 
glad,  however,  to  see  that  men  are  doing  their  best 
to  imitate  the  beast  creation  in  respect  of  their 
clothes :  the  numerous  furs  and  seal  skins  which  I 
observe  on  the  richer  portion  of  my  spectators  show 
that  mankind  are  aware  of  the  fact  that  there  are 
at  least  some  points  in  which  they  will  do  well  to 
imitate  us." 

The  elephant,  I  suppose,  here  found  that  she  was 


fc) 


WHAT  THE  ANIMALS  SAID.  147 

getting  somewhat  prosy,  for  little  Mary  began  to 
get  weary ;  so  the  wise  beast  deliberately  swallowed 
a  turnip,  top  and  all,  winked,  raised  its  trunk, 
humphed,  and  withdrew. 

Mary  then  visited  the  other  beasts  in  turn :  and 
found  that  she  learned  something  from  each  of  their 
discourses.  She  was,  perhaps,  most  surprised  at 
the  powers  of  the  ostrich.  In  five  minutes  this 
wonderful  bird  swallowed  six  nails,  eight  pebbles, 
a  bit  of  glass,  the  advertisement  sheet  of  the  Times, 
and  a  cotton  glove. 

Mary  wondered  at  all  this,  not  unnaturally ;  but 
the  ostrich  explained  that  it  had  no  wings,  and  was 
therefore  obliged  to  amuse  itself  with  other  pursuits 
than  flying.  It  was  determined  to  benefit  its  species, 
and  was  therefore  engaged  in  a  series  of  interesting 
observations  on  the  digestion,  which  it  intended  to 
publish  as  soon  as  some  one  should  have  found 
means  to  reduce  the  language  of  birds  to  writing. 
It  added,  however,  that  it  considered  nails  fully  as 
digestible  and  healthy  as  a  great  many  dishes  con- 
sumed and  enjoyed  by  the  human  race  ;  more  so  than 
lobster  salad,  cold  patties,  and  in  fact  than  any  of 
the  refreshments  ordinarily  provided  at  railway  sta- 
tions for  hungry  passengers.  The  ostrich  explained 
that  it  wished  to  convey  by  this  insinuation  no  re- 
proach against  the  lobster,  of  which  crustacean  it 
had  not  the  acquaintance,  there  being  ver\'  few  of 
such  to  be  found  in  the  desert.  It  was  sure,  how- 
ever, that  the  lobster  would  rather  not  be  digested 
at  all.  Mary  was  not  quite  sure  what  the  ostrich 
meant  by  a  **  crustacean  "  or  an  "insinuation,"  but 
imagined  that  they  were  some  kind  of  strange 
animal,  whose  acquaintance  she  would  probablv 
make  further  on. 

^Mary   could   not   help   pausing  before   the   cage 


148  WHAT  THE  ANIMALS  SAID. 

where  the  owl  was  confined,  and  admiring  its  glossy 
feathers  and  large  expressive  eyes.  She  had  always 
heard  this  bird  spoken  of  as  the  bird  of  wisdom, 
and  therefore  approached  its  cage  not  without  some 
degree  of  awe. 

'*  Good  morning,  my  lord,"  said  she  by  way  of 
greetiiig;  for  she  knew  that  it  was  usual  thus  to 
address  a  judge,  whom  she  had  always  heard  of 
as  the  possessor  of  the  greatest  wisdom  on  earth. 
But  to  her  surprise  she  received  no  answer,  though 
she  repeated  her  greeting  several  times  in  a  loud 
voice.  She  even  pu":  her  mouth  to  his  lordship's 
ear  and  shouted  with  all  her  might,  "  My  lord ! 
my  lord !  "  and  then  ''  You  owl !  you  owl !  "  in  turn. 
But  his  owlship  merely  winked  and  winked,  and 
looked  like  a  judge  who  has  slept  through  the  argu- 
ments of  both  sides  impartially,  and  is  now  making 
up  his  mind  as  to  which  of  the  contending  parties 
has  the  weakest  case.  Hence  she  was  driven  to  con- 
clude that  neither  a  wig  nor  large  eyes  always  denote 
wisdom.  Even  these  large  eyes,  so  far  from  always 
being  an  advantage  to  the  bird,  in  many  cases,  Mary 
thought,  must  be  a  drawback.  For  she  could  not 
help  noticing  that  when  he  had  once  fixed  his  eyes 
upon  any  object,  he  had  great  difBculty  in  taking 
them  off  again.  Indeed,  a  parrot,  who  was  in  the 
next  cage,  confided  to  her  that  in  America  numerous 
owls  are  caught  in  this  manner ;  a  professional  owl- 
catcher  comes  to  a  tree  where  he  knows  one  of  these 
birds  to  be  sitting,  and  after  catching  its  eye,  walks 
slowly  round  the  tree.  After  about  ten  turns  or  so 
the  poor  owl,  following  the  man  with  his  eyes,  begins 
to  feel  uncomfortable,  and  after  about  ten  more 
it  experiences  a  great  difficulty  in  breathing.  At 
last,  it  actually  drops  from  its  perch  and  gasps  for 


WHAT  THE  ANIMALS  SAID.  149 

breath.     It  is  with  difficulty  restored  to  health  with 
chicken  broth  and  various  other  cordials. 

Perhaps  I  may  tell  you  another  day  of  all  the 
curious  information  regarding  men  and  women  that 
she  picked  up  from  other  beasts  and  birds ;  how  she 
admired  the  patience  of  one,  the  grace  of  a  second, 
the  majesty  of  a  third  ;  and  finally  returned  home, 
more  resolved  than  ever  to  continue,  as  she  had  al- 
ways been,  the  warm  friend  of  every  beast  and  bird 
that  exists. 


THE  STORY  OF  LITTLE  MAGGIE. 

There  was  once  a  little  girl  called  Maggie.  She 
had  no  father  or  mother,  and  no  home  to  live  in ; 
very  ragged  clothes,  no  shoes,  and  no  hat ;  she  al- 
ways put  a  little  tattered  shawl  over  her  head  when 
the  sun  shone  too  hot,  or  the  wind  blew  too  cold. 

Now,  although  she  had  no  mother  to  teach  her 
what  was  right  and  what  was  wrong,  she  was  a 
very  good  little  girl,  and  never  stole  anything,  or 
told  any  falsehoods ;  she  was  very  kind  to  all  the 
animals  she  saw,  and  never  teased  or  hurt  any  living 
creature. 

This  little  girl  was  wandering  about,  one  fine 
summer  evening,  trying  to  find  some  place  where 
she  might  sleep  all  night,  when  she  came  to  the 
gate  of  a  large  farmyard,  and  stopped  timidly,  be- 
fore she  opened  it  to  go  in. 

Suddenly  a  large  rough,  black  dog  rushed  out 
of  the  barn,  and  began  barking  so  fiercely  that  poor 
little  Maggie  was  quite  frightened,  and  ran  away  as 
fast  as  her  little  legs  could  carry  her.  When  she 
had  quite  got  out  of  hearing  of  the  big  dog  she 
stopped  to  rest  herself  and  think  what  she  should 
do  next;  but  while  she  was  thinking  (she  was  very 
tired,  and  had  wandered  a  long,  long  way  that  day), 
she  laid  her  poor  little  head  down  on  the  bank,  and 
fell  fast  asleep. 

Now  the  place  where  Maggie  was  lying  was  a 
pretty  lane  with  a  high  bank  and  hedge  on  one  side 
150 


THE  STORY  OF  LITTLE  MAGGIE.  151 

of  it,  while  on  the  other  side  ran  a  Httle  stream,  with 
a  fence  and  a  green  meadow  beyond  it.  The  bank 
was  quite  covered  with  wild  flowers,  and  made  the 
prettiest,  softest  bed  for  the  little  girl,  while  the  long 
branches  of  wild  roses  and  honeysuckles,  that  hung 
out  of  the  hedge  over  her  head,  made  curtains  such 
as  neither  you  nor  I  ever  slept  under. 

Little  Maggie  lay  and  slept  here,  quite  soundly ; 
the  moon  and  all  the  stars  shone  over  her  head, 
but  she  knew  nothing  of  it  all. 

Just  before  the  sun  rose  she  was  roused  by  the 
sound  of  little  voices,  just  like  silver  bells,  and, 
opening  her  eyes  she  saw  hundreds  of  little  boys  and 
girls  all  round  her,  very  busily  at  work,  and  very 
merry.  Maggie  had  never  seen  any  children  like 
these  before,  so  she  lay  quite  still  and  watched  them 
and  listened  to  what  they  said. 

The  little  boys  were  all  dressed  in  green,  with 
little  silver  caps  on  their  heads,  and  little  silver  belts 
round  their  waists ;  the  girls  wore  frocks  made  of 
wild  rose  leaves,  some  pink,  some  white,  and  some 
deep  red ;  little  silver  belts  and  shoes,  and  little  hats, 
each  made  of  a  wild  heart's-ease. 

These  little  people  were  all  chattering  away  as 
fast  as  they  could,  and  each  of  them  was  doing 
something  to  a  flower  blossom.  The  little  girls 
had  brooms  made  of  field-mouse  hair ;  and  with 
these  they  were  busy  sweeping  away  the  dust  from 
the  pretty  bright  flowers.  The  boys  had  harder 
brushes,  and  were  cleaning  the  green  leaves  of  the 
plants  and  the  blades  of  grass. 

"  Oh,  my  poor  little  Daisy !  "  cried  one  of  the 
little  girls,  ".  how  dirty  you  are  this  morning ;  I  was 
sure  you  would  be  so,  when  I  saw  Farmer  Jones 
drive  past  yesterday  in  his  gig ;  the  dust  flew  up  so 
that  I  could  see  nothing  for  ever  so  long  after.  How 


152  THE  STORY  OF  LITTLE  MAGGIE. 

troublesome  these  human  beings  are,  Pimpernel,  are 
they  not?" 

"  Yes,  indeed !  "  said  Pimpernel,  who  was  care- 
fully straightening  out  the  leaves  of  her  little  red 
flower ;  "  only  the  other  day  my  child  was  so 
thickly  covered  with  dust  that  when  she  knew  there 
was  rain  coming,  and  that  she  ought  to  shut  up,  her 
petals  were  too  much  clogged  for  her  to  be  able  to 
do  it.  Tom  the  shepherd  came  past,  and  looked  at 
her,  and  said  cheerily,  ''  Oh,  there  is  no  chance  of 
rain,  the  Pimpernel  is  wide  open,  so  I  can  leave  my 
lambs  out  all  night."  He  did  leave  them  out,  and 
I  heard  from  Cowslip,  over  in  the  meadow  there, 
that  they  cried  all  night  and  were  so  cold !  " 

"  Take  care,  Roseleaf,"  cried  Wood-sorrel ;  "  you 
are  sweeping  down  all  your  dust  on  my  child,  so 
that  as  fast  asT  brush  her  clean,  she  gets  covered 
with  dust  again." 

"I  have  just  finished,"  said  Roseleaf;  "I  have 
such  a  lovely  bud  to  open  to-day ;  it  will  quite  aston- 
ish the  queen  when  she  comes  !  " 

When  the  children  had  done  sweeping  their 
flowers  clean,  they  all  went  to  the  brook,  and  filling 
a  dockleaf  with  water,  they  carried  it  over  to  their 
flower  bank ;  then  they  gave  each  flower  a  little,  and 
sprinkled  what  was  left  over  the  grass  and  leaves. 

They  had  just  finished  this  work  when  a  little 
boy,  perched  on  the  tallest  branch  of  the  hedge, 
waved  his  silver  cap  in  the  air  and  shouted,  ''  Hur- 
rah !  the  queen  is  coming !  " 

The  girls  put  up  their  brushes  and  smoothed  their 
aprons,  made  of  the  petals  of  lilies  of  the  valley,  and 
the  boys  climbed  up  the  highest  plants  to  look  out 
.  for  her  majesty's  carriage. 

Soon  it  came,  drawn  through  the  air  by  twelve 
blue  butterflies,  and  a  crowd  of  fairies  and  elves 


THE  STORY  OF  LITTLE  MAGGIE.  153 

flew  after  it.  It  stopped  close  beside  ^laggie  and 
the  queen  stepped  out.  As  she  did  so,  the  Httle 
boys  and  girls  made  their  best  bows  and  courtesies. 

Then  the  queen  began  to  look  at  the  flowers. 

*'  Daisy,"  she  said,  "  your  child  is  quite  pale  this 
morning ;  what  has  happened  to  her  ?  " 

"  Please  your  majesty,"  answered  Daisy,  "  she 
was  so  covered  with  dust  yesterday  that  she  could 
hardly  breathe,  and  nearly  fainted,  just  before  I  be- 
gan to  wash  her,  and  that  is  why  she  looks  so  pale ; 
but  she  is  better  now." 

"  The  mortals  have  been  at  work  again,  I  sup- 
pose," said  the  queen  angrily ;  "  Farmer  Jones  and 
his  gig  are  to  blame,  are  they  not?  " 

"  Yes,  your  majesty ;  they  do  us  all  a  great  deal 
of  mischief." 

*'  Indeed  they  do,"  chimed  in  a  dozen  or  two  of 
other  little  girls. 

The  queen  stood  and  thought  for  a  moment,  and 
then  called  aloud,  "  Ruby !  " 

A  pretty  little  fairy  man  flew  up  at  once,  and  stood 
with  a  paint  brush  and  palette  in  his  hand,  and  made 
a  low  bow  to  the  queen. 

"  Take  your  brush  and  make  my  pretty  Daisy 
look  better.  Ruby,"  said  she. 

The  painter  again  bowed  low,  and  set  to  work 
to  touch  the  ends  of  the  Daisy's  little  white  petals 
with  the  most  delicate  crimson,  stepping  back  every 
now  and  then,  with  his  head  on  one  side,  to  look  at 
his  work,  till  he  had  made  the  Daisy  look  exqui- 
site. 

"  Oh,  Roseleaf !  what  a  lovely  bud  you  have 
brought  out  to-day !  "  exclaimed  the  queen,  flying 
on  to  the  spray  of  roses,  which  Maggie  had  noticed 
before ;  ''  but  where  are  all  those  flowers  you  had 
yesterday.      There  were  six  here,  I  think." 


15i  THE  STORY  OF  LITTLE  MAGGIE. 

"  Yes,  your  majesty,"  replied  Roseleaf ; ''  but  your 
majesty's  court  dressmaker  came  to  me  and  said  she 
required  some  velvet  to  make  dresses  for  their  royal 
highnesses,  the  three  princesses,  so  I  gave  her  the 
petals  of  those  six  roses,  they  were  so  beautiful ; 
and  here  are  the  remains  of  them,  going  to  turn  into 
seeds." 

''  That  v^as  quite  right,"  said  the  queen.  Then 
she  added,  speaking  half  to  herself :  ''  They  needed 
to  have  pretty  dresses  in  which  to  go  to  Prince 
Dragon-fly's  ball,  but  still  it  is  very  sad  to  have  to 
use  such  lovely  flowers  to  make  them." 

After  visiting  many  more  flowers,  and  talking  to 
the  little  girls  that  took  care  of  them,  and  sometimes 
passing  her  hand  over  a  leaf  or  a  blade  of  grass,  to 
see  if  the  boys  had  done  their  work  properly,  the 
queen  came  to  some  little  girls  whom  Maggie  had 
not  noticed  before.  They  were  sitting  quite  still, 
crying  as  if  their  hearts  would  break ;  and  beside 
them  lay  some  broken  and  withered  white  flowers. 

"  Alas  !  "  cried  they,  as"  the  queen  came  near  them, 
*'  see  what  mischief  has  been  done  here  to  our  dear 
little  children.  We  have  taken  such  care  of  them  all 
this  summer,  and  we  did  hope  soon  to  have  some 
lovely  ripe  strawberries  to  present  to  your  majesty; 
but  yesterday  a  little  girl  came  by ;  and  she  caught 
sight  of  our  dear  little  flowers  on  the  top  of  the 
bank,  and  rushed  at  them  with  a  cry  of  joy,  and 
broke  them  off ;  there  is  only  one  left,  and  it  is  badly 
hurt." 

The  queen  drew  herself  up  and  looked  very  sad 
and  very  angry.  At  last  she  said  :  *'  I  could  forgive 
these  mortals  for  throwing  dust  ov^r  my  fiowers- 
for  they  do  not  know  any  better;  but  they  kiicnv 
quite  well  that  when  they  break  off  a  strawberry 
iiO'Wtv  they  take  away  the  food  from  one  of  my; 


THE   STORY  OF   LITTLE   MAGGIE.  I55 

fairy  children ;  and  besides  that,  they  do  not  remem- 
ber that  we  fairies  love  our  little  flower  children, 
and  that  it  grieves  us  to  see  them  broken  and  hurt." 

Maggie  was  so  much  interested  in  all  that  she 
saw  and  heard,  and  so  sorry  for  the  little  fairies, 
that  she  started  up  and  cried  out : 

"  Oh !  please  your  majesty,  it  w^as  not  I  that 
touched  the  strawberry  flowers  ;  and  I  will  never, 
never  gather  one ;  I  did  not  know  that  it  made  the 
fairies  so  sorry  !  " 

At  the  sound  of  her  voice  all  the  fairies  disap- 
peared, and  although  Maggie  rubbed  her  eyes  very 
hard  indeed,  she  could  see  nothing  more  of  them ; 
only  the  flowers  and  leaves  and  grass  were  left,  the 
bright  sun  was  just  rising  above  the  meadow,  and 
it  was  broad  daylight. 


A  STORY  ABOUT  A  WASP. 

In  a  storeroom  which  was  full,  as  most  store- 
rooms are,  of  sugar  and  jam  and  all  sorts  of  sweet 
things,  numbers  of  wasps  were  flying  and  buzzing 
about.  The  lady  to  whom  the  store-room  belonged 
had  gone  bravely  among  them  and  driven  many  of 
them  out  at  the  window,  but  for  each  one  that  she 
drove  away,  or  killed,  two  new  ones  seemed  to 
spring  up,  and  at  last  she  gave  it  up  in  despair,  and 
left  them  to  fly  and  buzz  as  much  as  they  liked. 

In  the  very  middle  of  the  room  stood  a  large  bot- 
tle with  no  cork  in  it,  and  with  a  more  delicious 
smell  coming  from  it  than  came  from  the  jams  or 
other  nice  things  that  stood  on  the  shelves.  One 
would  think  that  the  wasps  would  have  crowded  to 
this ;  it  seemed  so  pleasant,  and  so  easy  to  get  in 
at  the  open  neck  of  the  bottle  and  feast  on  the  sweets 
inside.  But  not  a  single  wasp  went  near  it,  and  the 
reason  of  this  you  will  presently  see. 

There  was,  however,  one  young  wasp,  who,  be- 
cause his  waist  was  a  little  slimmer  than  most  wasps' 
waists,  thought  that  he  was  the  cleverest  wasp  that 
had  ever  lived.  It  came  into  his  silly  head  that  it 
was  mere  folly  in  the  others  not  to  go  into  this  bot- 
tle, and  though  his  father  and  his  uncles  all  begged 
him  not  to  go  near  it,  he  made  up  his  mind  that  he 
would,  and  gave  his  wings  a  shake  and  began  flying 
toward  it. 

All  the  friends  he  possessed  stopped  and  said 
156 


A   STORY  ABOUT  A  WASP.  157 

a  word  or  two  to  him.  "  It's  a  pity  you  won't  take 
good  advice,"  said  one.  "  I  always  thought  his  con- 
ceit would  bring  him  to  a  bad  end,"  said  another. 
"  Good-by,"  said  another.  But  he  paid  no  atten- 
tion, and  flew  to  the  bottle  and  perched  on  the  edge. 
The  smell  which  came  up  from  it  was  like  that  of 
hundreds  of  honey-pots. 

*'  Ho,  ho!  "  said  the  wasp,  "  I'm  in  luck;  now  I 
shall  be  able  to  laugh  at  all  the  others ;  "  and  down 
the  neck  of  the  bottle  he  flew,  but  no  sooner  had 
his  foot  touched  the  honey,  as  he  thought  it  was,  in- 
side, than  he  found  he  could  not  move  it  away  again. 
It  seemed  fixed.  He  put  his  other  feet  down  to  get 
it  out,  but  they  became  fixed  too — then  his  wings — 
then  his  head — until  he  was  quite  fixed  in  the  trap, 
for  that  is  what  the  bottle  was.  There  he  was 
stuck  fast,  and  there  he  is  still. 


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LD  21-100m-8,'34 

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